Cop  \(p 
c.3 


STATE  OF  ILLINOIS 

STATE  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY 

FRANK  W.  DE  WOLF,  Director 


Cooperative  Goal  Mining  Series 

BULLETIN  16 


GOAL  RESOURCES 

OF 

DISTRICT  II  (Jackson  County) 


BY 

GILBERT  H.  CADY 

Field  work  by  G.  H.  Cady,  F.  H.  Kay,  K.  D.  WLite,  and  others 


ILLINOIS  GOAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

Trepared  under  a  cooperative  agreement  between  the  Illinois  State  Geological  Survey, 

the  Engineering  Experiment  Station  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  and 

the  U.  Sv  Bureau  of  Mines. 


PRINTED  BY  AUTHORITY  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS 


ILLINOIS  STATE  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

URBANA 

1917 


The  Forty-seventh  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Illinoi 
with  a  view  of  conserving  the  lives  of  the  mine  workers  and  the  mil 
eral  resources  of  the  State,  authorized  an  investigation  of  the  co 
resources  and  mining  practices  of  Illinois  by  the  Department  of  Mil 
ing  Engineering  of  the  University  of  Illinois  and  the  State  Geologic 
Survey  in  cooperation  with  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Mines, 
cooperative  agreement  was  approved  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interi< 
and  by  representatives  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

The  direction  of  this  investigation  is  vested  in  the  Director  of  tl 
United  States  Bureau  of  Mines,  the  Director  of  the  State  Geologic 
Survey,  and  the  Director,  Engineering  Experiment  Station,  Un 
versity  of  Illinois,  who  jointly  determined  the  methods  to  be  en 
ployed  in  the  conduct  of  the  work  and  exercise  general  editorial  supe 
vision  over  the  publication  of  the  results,  but  each  party  to  the  agre 
ment  directs  the  work  of  its  agents  in  carrying  on  the  investigatk 
thus  mutually  agreed  on. 

The  reports  of  the  investigation  are  issued  in  the  form  of  bull 
tins,  either  by  the  State  Geological  Survey,  the  Engineering  Experime: 
Station,  University  of  Illinois,  or  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Mine 
^For  copies  of  the  bulletins  issued  by  the  State  Geological  Surve 
address  State  Geological  Survey,  Urbana,  Illinois;  for  those  issu< 
by  the  Engineering  Station,  address  Engineering  Station,  Universi 
of  Illinois,  Urbana,  Illinois ;  and  for  those  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Bure< 
of  Mines,  address  Director,  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines,  Washington,  D.  ' 
(See  list  at  end  of  book.) 


ILLINOIS  STATE  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY 


3  3051  00006  4166 


STATE  OF  ILLINOIS 

STATE  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY 

FRANK  W.  DE  WOLF.  Director 


Cooperative   Coal  Mining   Series 

BULLETIN  16 


GOAL  RESOURCES 

OF 

DISTRICT  II  (Jackson  County) 


BY 
GILBERT  II.  GADY 

Field  work  by  O.  Il.Ciuly,  F.  II.  Kay,  K.  I).  White,  and  others 


ILLINOIS  GOAL.  MINING   INVESTIGATIONS 

Prepared  under  a  cooperative  agreemenl   between   the    Illinois  State   Geological   Sun 
the   Engineering  Experiment  Station  of  the   Universitj   of   Illinois,  and 
tin-   I '.  S.    Bureau  of  Mines. 


PRINTED   BY  AUTHORITY  OF  THE  STATE  OF   ILLINOIS 


ILLINOIS  STATK  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

URBANA 

1«>I7 


A 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Chapter  I — Introduction  11 

Economic  importance  of  area    11 

Acknowledgments   11 

Chapter   II — Geography    13 

Location  13 

Topography    13 

Glaciation    14 

Drainage 15 

Towns  and  railroads  15 

Chapter  III — General  geology   17 

Stratigraphy    17 

Pennsylvanian  series  ("Coal  Measures")    17 

General  features   17 

Pottsville  formation 17 

Carbondale  formation  19 

Thickness     19 

Lithologic  characteristics   19 

Correlation    20 

Coal   Xo.  2 20 

Vergennes  sandstone  member    21 

Strata  between  Vergennes  sandstone  and  coal  No.  5....  22 

Coal  No.  5  and  associated  strata   23 

Coal  No.  6  and  underclay 24 

McLeansboro  formation  24 

General  character   24 

Shale  and  limestone  overlying  coal  Xo.  6 24 

Strata  above  limestone  cap  rock  25 

Quaternary  system    26 

Pleistocene  series    26 

Glacial  till   26 

Valley   fill    26 

Structure    28 

Method  of  showing  structure 28 

Reliability  of  structure  contours 28 

Uses  of  the  structure  map 29 

Structure  of  District  II 30 

General  features    30 

Details  of  structure   30 

Chapter  IV — Economic  geology  of  the  coals  33 

Pottsville  coals 33 

Carbondale  coals  33 

Coal  No.  2 33 

Distribution  and  thickness   33 

Physical  characteristics 36 

Detailed  observations    37 

Quality  of  coal  Xo.  2  44 

(5) 


CONTENTS— Continued 


Roof    44 

Floor 45 

Structural  irregularities    46 

Coking  qualities    49 

Coals  between  coal  No.  2  and  coal  No.  6  49 

Coal  No.  5 49 

Minor  coal  beds  51 

Coal  No.  6  51 


(6) 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PLATE  PAGE 

I.     Map  of  District  II  showing  locations  of  mines,  drill  holes,  outcrops, 

and  structure  contours  on  coals  No.  2  and  No.  6 14 

II.     Graphic  sections  of  borings  in  District  II 18 

III.     Graphic  average  analyses  of  Illinois  coals  by  beds 44 


FIGURE 

1.  Map  showing  area  of  District  II  as  covered  by  this  report 10 

2.  Sketch  map  showing  terraces  along  Big  Muddy  River  and  its  tribu- 

taries   14 

3.  East-west  section  across  the  Murphysboro  and  Herrin  quadrangles  in 

Jackson   County    32 

4.  North-south  section  across  the  fault  in  Jackson  County 32 

5.  Diagrammatic  illustration  showing  the  thickening  of  the  parting  in 

Harrison  mine,  Big  Muddy  Coal  and  Iron  Company 36 

6.  Graphic  sections  of  coal  No.  2  in  Jackson  County 38 

7.  Shale  in  pit  of  Murphysboro  Paving  Brick  Company 45 

8.  Diagrammatic   illustration    of   a    fault,   slip,    and   horseback   in    mine 

No.  2,  Gus  Blair  Big  Muddy  Coal  Company 40 

9.  Diagrammatic  illustration  of  a  horseback  in  mine  No.  9,   Big  Muddy 

Coal  and  Iron  Company   46 

10.  Diagrammatic  illustration  showing  a  slip  without  displacement,  mine 

No.  9,  Big  Muddy  Coal  and  Iron  Company 47 

11.  Diagrammatic  illustration  of  a  horse  in  Harrison  mine.    Big   Muddy 

Coal  and  I  ron  Company  47 

12.  Diagrammatic  illustration  of  a  roll  in  mine   No.  9,   Big  Muddy  Coal 

and   1  ron  Company    48 

13.  Graphic  sections  of  coal  No.  6  in  Jackson  County 50 


(7) 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign 


http://archive.org/details/coalresourcesofd16cady 


TABLES 

PACK 

1.  Recorded  thicknesses  of  the  drift  in  drill  holes  in  Jackson  County.  ...  27 

2.  Thicknesses  of  coal  Xo.  2  in  District  II   34 

3.  Thicknesses  of  coal  Xo.  2  and  character  and  thickness  of  roof  and 

floor  in  mines  of  District  II  40 

4.  Analyses  of  mine  samples  of  coal  from  District  II  42 

5.  Average  analyses  of  Illinois  coals  by  districts  43 

6.  List  of  shipping  mines  in  District  II  (Jackson  County),  1915 53 


(9) 


MAP    OF 

ILLINOIS 


Fig.  1. — Map  showing  area  of  District  II  as  covered  by  this  report. 

(10) 


GOAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  II 

By  G.  H.   Gady 


CHAPTER  I— INTRODUCTION 
Economic  Importance  of  Area 

District  II  of  the  Illinois  Coal  Mining  Investigations  includes  that 
part  of  Jackson  County  (fig.  1)  underlain  by  coal  No.  2  (Murphys- 
boro  coal).  This  district,  the  smallest  in  the  State,  has  the  distinction 
of  furnishing  coal  of  highest  calorific  value  for  Illinois ;  as  the  area 
underlain  by  workable  coal  is  restricted  there  are  but  few  mines,  so 
that  the  production  from  District  II  is  comparatively  small.  A  total 
output  from  6  shipping  mines  for  the  year  ending  June,  1916,  was 
625,964  tons. 

The  northeastern  part  of  Jackson  County  is  underlain  also  by  two 
other  beds  of  coal,  No.  5  or  Harrisburg  and  No.  6  or  Herrin,  the 
upper  one  of  which  is  being  mined  at  a  number  of  places  ;  but  both  arc 
of  commercial  value. 

Acknowledgments 

The  description  of  the  coal  resources  of  District  11,  which  con- 
stitutes the  subject  matter  of  this  bulletin,  is  based  upon  field  investi- 
gations by  members  of  the  State  Geological  Survey  and  LT.  S.  Geol- 
ogical Survey,  upon  the  text  and  maps  of  the  Murphysboro-Herrin 
folio  of  the  Ceologic  Atlas  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  by  E.  \Y. 
Shaw  and  T.  E.  Savage,  which  has  been  largely  drawn  upon,  and  upon 
the  tabulation  and  study  of  data  derived  from  about  180  drilling 
records  furnished  the  State  Geological  Survey  by  various  companies 
operating  in  the  district.  Special  acknowledgment  is  made  of  the  use 
of  field  notes  of  Messrs.  K.  D.  White  and  F.  II.  Kay,  collected  in  5 
mines  selected  for  examination  by  the  Investigations.  Thanks  are  due 
to  the  operators  of  the  district  for  information  furnished  the  Survey 
and  for  kindly  cooperation  in  opening  the  mines  to  examination. 

The  bulletin  is  one  of  a  series  of  similar  publications  prepared 
by  the  State  Geological  Survey  in  cooperation  with  the  Mining  Experi- 
ment Station  of  the  University  of  Illinois  and  the  U.  S.  Bureau 
of  Mines,  dealing  with  the  coal  resources  of  the  various  districts  of 
the  State.  The  districts  examined  by  the  Investigations  are  listed  in 
the  Preliminary  Bulletin,  Illinois  Coal  Mining  Investigations. 


(11) 


CHAPTER  II— GEOGRAPHY 
Location 

District  II  lies  entirely  within  the  boundaries  of  Jackson  County, 
but  is  not  coextensive  with  the  county.  The  north  and  east  boundaries 
of  the  district  coincide  with  the  boundaries  of  the  county.  The 
boundary  to  the  southwest  is  marked  by  the  outcrop  of  coal  No.  2 
along  an  irregular  and  more  or  less  indefinite  line  running  north  from 
a  point  about  5  miles  west  of  Murphysboro  and  southeast  toward 
Carbondale.  Small  outliers  of  coal  Xo.  2  lie  to  the  west  between  the 
main  line  of  outcrop  and  the  bluff  of  the  Mississippi,  the  most  import- 
ant of  which  is  in  the  vicinity  of  Ava. 

District  II  lies  south  of  District  YII  and  west  of  District  VI,  as 
defined  by  the  Cooperative  Investigations.  The  most  important  por- 
tion of  the  district  lies  in  the  vicinity  of  Murphysboro  within  the 
boundaries  of  the  Murphysboro  and  Herrin  quadrangles,  the  geological 
report  upon  which  has  already  been  published.3 

Topography 

The  Murphysboro  and  Herrin  quadrangles  exhibit  two  types  of 
topography,  according  to  Shaw  and  Savage — the  higher  hills  bordering 
the  Mississippi  and  the  interior  lowlands.  District  II  lies  almost 
wholly  within  the  interior  lowlands,  only  the  western  part  near  the 
outcrop  of  coal  Xo.  2  being  in  the  hilly  portion  of  the  county.  The 
interior  lowlands  have  an  altitude  of  about  400  to  480  feet,  whereas  the 
altitude  of  the  hilly  country  south  of  Ava  reaches  720  feet.  West  of 
the  district  and  beyond  the  outcrop  of  coal  Xo.  2  the  county  is  under- 
lain largely  by  the  resistant  Pottsville  sandstone.  The  highest  hills 
here  reach  an  elevation  of  about  750  feet. 

The  interior  lowlands  have  been  described  as  follows:2 

The  principal  features  of  the  interior  plain  are  (1)  the  low  hills;  (2)  the 
slightly  rolling  divides  420  to  460  feet  above  sea  level;  (3)  the  broad  terraces 
along  the  principal  streams,  lying  for  the  most  part  at  390  to  410  feet;  (4)  the 
flood  plains,  at  360  to  385  feet;  and  (5)  the  deep  river  and  creek  channels  cut 
20  feet  or  more  below  the  flood  plains.  On  each  stream  the  terraces,  flood 
plain,  bottom  of  the  channel,  and  surface  of  the  bed  rock  below  the  channel 
all  converge  upstream. 

The  terraces  are  the  upper  surfaces  of  valley  deposits  which  attain  a 
maximum  thickness  of  about  110  feet  along  the  courses  of  the  rivers.  The 
terraces  seem  to  have  been  formed  by  the  deposition  of  material  by  temporarily 
obstructed  streams  that  once  emptied  into  the  Mississippi  at  a  level  considerably 
below  that  of  the  present  channels. 


'Shaw,    I-:.   W\,  and   Savagfe,   'I'.    E„    lT.   S.   Geol.   Survey  Geol.   Atlas,    Murphysboro-He 
folio    (No.    185),    1912. 
-Idem,  ]>.   1. 

(13) 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  II 


Figure  2  is  a  sketch  map  showing  the  area  covered  by  these 
terraces  bordering  Big  Muddy  River  and  its  tributaries  and  the  posi- 
tion of  District  II.  The  map  is  adapted  from  one  appearing  in  the 
Murphysboro-Herrin  folio. 


5    Miles 


Fig.  2. — Sketch  map  showing  terraces  along  Big  Muddy  River  and  its  tribu- 


taries. 


Glaciation 

Glacial  deposits  mantle  the  hill  tops  and  many  hill  sides  in  the 
more  elevated  portions  of  the  district,  and  a  covering  of  yellow  loess 
effects  a  still  further  concealment  of  the  bed  rock  and  renders  the  out- 
crops of  the  coal  obscure.  It  is  probable  that  the  glacial  till,  if  not  the 
loess  of  the  hilly  country  extends  below  the  alluvial  material  of  the 
interior  lowlands,  as  almost  all  the  area  was  covered  at  least  once  by 
a  great  ice  sheet  which  left  a  continuous  but  a  relatively  thin  mantle 
of  debris  which  did  not  greatly  modify  the  surface  configuration. 
This  region  thus  differs  from  the  central  and  northern  parts  of  the 
State,  which  were  subjected  to  the  erosion  of  moving  ice  for  a  much 
longer  time  and  which  received  thick  deposits  from  an  oscillating  ice 
front.  Subsequent  to  glaciation  of  the  region  the  valleys  filled  with 
silt  and  gravel,  forming  the  extensive  terraces  now  existing  along  the 
streams. 


S  STATE  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY 

(  QOKKATXVE   AGREEMENT 

R.4  W. 


BULLETIN  16,  PLATE 


R.3  W. 


R.I  W. 


^A2  Coal  mine;  number  refers  to  Table  6 

X      Local  mine 

#       Drill  hole 

Contours   on   coal   No.    6,   north - 

J      east    of    the    outcrop    of    that 

5Ox         coal;    on    coal    No.    2    between 

s*3v  outcrops    of   coals    No.    2    and 

No.  6. 

, .  Outcrop  of  coal  No.  6 


Outcrop  of  coal  No.  2 


«__        Direction  of  dip  of  rocks 


* — I         Railroad 


•         Electric  line 


County 
boundary 


Township 
boundary 


420      Elevation  of  town 
above  sea  level 


GEOGRAPHY  15 


Drainage 


The  run-off  of  the  district  reaches  the  Mississippi  through  Big 
Muddy  River,  of  which  the  two  largest  tributaries  in  Jackson  County 
are  Beaucoup  Creek  and  Little  Muddy  River. 

The  principal  streams  are,  according  to  Shaw  and  Savage,3  similar 
in  profile  and  in  certain  other  features.  Each  is  naturally  separable 
into  three  longitudinal  divisions.  In  the  first  and  upper  division  the 
streams  are  about  the  level  of  the  extensive  terraces,  the  valleys  seem 
normal  in  all  respects,  and  rock  outcrops  are  numerous.  In  the  second 
division  the  floodplains  of  the  streams  lie  at  approximately  the  same 
altitude  as  the  terraces  and  accordingly  the  valley  is  broad  and  swampy. 
Here  the  stream  flows  over  the  unconsolidated  sandy  deposit,  and  rock 
outcrops  are  very  rare.  In  the  third  division  the  stream  lies  below  the 
terrace  surface.  Rock  outcrops  are  absent  except  where  the  stream 
swings  to  one  side  of  the  valley,  leaving  terraces  on  the  opposite  side. 
The  gradient  is  very  low,  the  banks  are  of  mud  or  fine  silt,  the  channel 
is  deep,  and  the  floodplain  narrow. 

Towns  and  Railroads 

The  principal  towns  of  the  district  are  Murphysboro  and  Car- 
bondale,  each  having  several  thousand  inhabitants.  There  are  numer- 
ous smaller  towns  which  depend  for  their  prosperity  upon  the  coal- 
mining industry,  especially  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  county  east  of 
the  outcrop  of  No.  6  (Herrin)  coal.  Several  railroads  traverse  Jack- 
son County,  and  transportation  facilities  are  entirely  adequate  for  the 
coal  industry  of  the  district. 


•'Idem,    p.    2. 


CHAPTER  III— GENERAL  GEOLOGY 

Stratigraphy 
pennsylvanian  series   ("coal  measures") 

GENERAL   FEATURES 

The  rocks  of  the  Pennsylvania!!  series  contain  all  the  known  coal 
beds  in  this  and  the  other  districts  of  the  State.  The  series  consists  of 
a  succession  of  shales  and  sandstones,  and  minor  amounts  of  lime- 
stone, clay,  and  coal.  In  Jackson  County  the  greatest  known  thick- 
ness of  "Coal  Measures"  or  Pennsylvanian  rocks  is  between  1,000  and 
1.100  feet.  Toward  the  southeastern  part  of  the  State  the  series 
attains  a  thickness  of  2,000  feet,  the  greater  thickness  being  due  to 
the  greater  thickness  of  individual  formations  and  to  the  presence  of 
a  greater  amount  of  the  upper  part  of  the  series  than  is  found  in  Dis- 
trict II,  where  much  material  has  been  removed  by  erosion. 

Underlying  the  Pennsylvanian  series  are  several  series  of  forma- 
tions belonging  to  older  systems.  Of  these  the  rocks  of  the  JMissis- 
sippian  series  are  comparatively  well  known  both  from  drill  records 
and  from  outcrops  not  far  distant  along  Mississippi  River.  Below 
the  Mississippian  series  lie  the  rocks  of  the  Devonian  system.  About 
1,300  feet  of  limestone  encountered  in  the  deepest  drill  hole  represents 
the  Devonian,  Silurian,  and  Ordovician  systems.  Plate  II,  No.  1, 
presents  a  generalized  columnar  section  of  the  Pennsylvanian  rocks 
in  Jackson  County,  adapted  from  the  Murphysboro-Herrin  folio. 

The  Pennsylvanian  series  in  Illinois  lias  been  separated  for  con- 
venience in  study  into  the  following  three  formations,  named  in  as- 
cending order — Pottsville,  Carbondale,  and  McLeansboro. 

POTTSVILLE    FORM  ATI  ON 

The  upper  limit  of  the  Pottsville,  which  is  known  with  fair  accu- 
racy, lies  at  a  very  short  distance  below  coal  No.  2  (Murphysboro  coal), 
and  for  convenience  the  base  of  the  coal  has  been  used  by  the  State 
Geological  Survey  as  the  formation  boundary.  The  following  descrip- 
tion of  the  Pottsville  formation  for  the  Murphysboro  and  I  lerrin  quad- 
rangles is  adequate  for  the  entire  district.1 

The  Pottsville  formation  is  composed  principally  of  sandstone.  In  the 
southwestern  portion  of  the  area  it  crops  out  extensively  with  a  thickness  rang- 
ing from  420  to  510  feet,  and  owing  to  its  resistant  nature  and  its  uplift  it 
forms  very  rugged  hills. 

In  the  northern  and  eastern  parts  of  the  area  the  Pottsville  generally 
extends  from  near  the  base  of  the  coal  No.  2  down  to  the  first  limestone  and 
may  thus  he  identified  in  drill  holes  by  its  position.  But  in  some  places  a  sand- 
stone overlying  this   limestone  belongs  below  the    Pottsville,  and  in   such   places 

'SI, aw,  E.  W.,  and  Savage,  T.   E.,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  G'eol.  Atlas.   Murphysboro-Herrin 

folio    (No.    185),  p.   6,   ]')\  1. 

(17) 


18  COAL  RESOURCES   OF  DISTRICT   II 

the  base  of  the  Pottsville  is  very  difficult  to  determine,  even  in  outcrops.  The 
formation  is  generally  made  up  of  seven  sandstone  members  separated  by  layers 
of  shale,  though  in  many  places  one  or  more  shale  members  are  absent  or  are 
represented  by  sandstone.  In  such  places  there  appear  to  be  fewer  sandstone 
members.  The  shale  generally  contains  some  thin-bedded  or  lenticular  sandstones 
and  one  or  more  carbonaceous  beds  or  coal  seams.  All  the  strata  are  very  irre- 
gular ;  beds  of  sandstone  grade  laterally  into  shale,  and  hardly  any  bed  holds  its 
physical  character  throughout  any  considerable  area.  The  seven  main  sand- 
stones are  not  very  persistent  and  are  of  irregular  thickness. 

The  lowest  sandstone,  which,  in  general,  is  fine  grained,  creamy  white, 
and  relatively  soft,  has  a  maximum  thickness  of  60  feet  though  locally  it  seems 
to  be  absent.  Above  it  lies  5  to  75  feet  of  sandy  shale  locally  containing  traces 
of   coal. 

The  second  sandstone  is  35  to  60  feet  thick  and  the  third  50  to  85  feet 
thick.  These  two  sandstones  are  considerably  more  resistant  than  the  first 
and  contain  pebbles,  especially  in  their  lowermost  parts.  Throughout  most  of 
the  area  they  are  separated  by  a  bed  of  soft  shale,  ranging  in  thickness  up  to 
about  20  feet,  with  lenses  of  sandstone  and  traces  of  coal.  The  upper  of  the 
two  is  overlain  by  a  more  or  less  sandy  shale,  1  to  20  feet  thick,  containing 
beds  of  pure  sandstone. 

The  fourth  sandstone  measures  45  to  85  feet  and  the  fifth  70  to  100  feet. 
Both  are  gray,  clean,  and  hard,  and  contain  a  few  lenses  of  shale,  and  toward 
the  top  scattered  pebbles.  They  are  separated  by  an  irregular  mass  of  shaly 
sandstone,  from  30  to  90  feet  thick,  containing  lenses  of  soft  shale,  and  having 
at  the  top  a  fairly  persistent  coal  bed,  2  to  25  inches  thick.  The  fifth  sand- 
stone is  overlain  by  1  to  40  feet  of  shale  and  shaly  sandstone. 

The  sixth  sandstone  is  40  to  80  feet  thick  and  the  seventh  20  to  35  feet. 
Both  are  conglomeratic,  particularly  northeast  of  Ava.  The  pebbles  seem  to 
be  concentrated  along  bedding  planes  and  not  scattered  irregularly  through  the 
mass.  The  shale  with  shaly  sandstone,  between  these  uppermost  sandstones  is 
irregular  in  thickness,  ranging  from  3  to  30  feet,  and  contains  one  or  more 
lenticula'r  coal  beds  and  commonly  masses  of  iron  oxide.  At  least  a  part  of 
this  shale  member  is  of  Mercer  age.  Near  Oraville  and  on  the  Mississippi 
bluffs  little  conglomerate  appears  in  any  layer  of  the  Pottsville,  but  in  other 
places,  as  near  Sugar  Hill  school,  quartz  pebbles  are  scattered  through  much  of 
the  formation.  Between  the  uppermost  sandstone  and  coal  No.  2  there  is  a 
10  to  30  foot  shale  member  with  local  sandstone  layers. 

On  Plate  II  are  five  graphic  sections  (Nos.  2  to  6)  of  drilling 
records  of  coal  or  oil  borings  in  Jackson  County  which  show  the  char- 
acter of  the  Pottsville  formation.  It  will  doubtless  be  observed  that 
the  seven  sandstone  members  of  the  Pottsville  formation  described 
above  are  not  distinguishable  in  any  of  these  records.  Their  relative 
position  and  thickness,  however,  is  indicated  in  the  generalized  section 
(  I  Mate  IT,  No.  1  ).  In  general  the  lithologic  criteria  for  the  identifica- 
tion of  the  several  sandstone  members  of  the  Pottsville  formation  are 
of  little  practical  value.  In  most  drill  records  the  base  of  the  Pottsville 
is  placed  at  the  first  limestone  below  the  main  coal  beds  and  below  a 
considerable   thickness   of   sandstone.     The   base   of   the   formation   is 


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GENERAL  GEOLOGY  19 

undeterminable  where  the  upper  formation  of  the  Mississippian  series 
is  sandstone  or  shale ;  the  top  is  difficult  to  determine  where  coal  No.  2 
is  absent. 

The  coal  beds  of  the  Pottsville  formation  are  of  no  commercial 
importance.  A  thin  seam  12  inches  or  less  in  thickness  is  not  uncom- 
mon about  75  feet  below  the  top  of  the  formation  (coal  No.  2),  and 
some  records  note  a  thin  bed  of  3  or  4  inches  about  40  feet  below  coal 
No.  2.     Otherwise  the  formation  seems  to  be  barren. 

CARBONDALE    FORMATION 

Thickness. — The  Carbondale  formation  includes  all  the  strata 
from  the  base  of  coal  No.  2  to  the  top  of  coal  No.  6  (Herrin  coal). 
The  name  is  taken  from  the  town  of  Carbondale,  Illinois,  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  which  the  formation  is  well  exposed.  The  formation  in  Jack- 
son County  attains  a  thickness  of  254  feet  in  at  least  one  locality. 

LitJwlogic  characteristics. — The  formation  between  coal  No.  2  at 
the  base  and  coal  No.  6  at  the  top  of  the  formation  is  made  up  largely 
of  shale  and  sandstone  with  several  thin  layers  of  limestone  and  more 
or  less  lenticular  beds  of  coal.  The  shale,  which  is  poorly  laminated 
and  claylike,  ranges  in  color  from  black  to  dark  gray.  The  sandstone 
is  commonly  loosely  cemented  and  rather  micaceous,  though  one  or  two 
of  the  thinner  beds  are  firmly  cemented  by  calcium  carbonate.  The 
limestone  is  hard,  gray  to  bluish  gray,  and  more  or  less  fossiliferous. 
Some  of  it  has  a  peculiar  brecciated  or  conglomeratic  appearance. 

The  sequence  of  the  beds  composing  the  formation  may  be  seen  in 
the  generalized  columnar  section  on  Plate  II.  No.  1.  The  succession 
as  found  in  a  coal  prospect  located  in  this  area  is  recorded  below. 
This  record  is  reproduced  graphically  as  section  No.  2,  I  Mate  II.  The 
graphic  reproduction  includes  also  part  of  the  adjacent  formation  above 
and  below  and  represents  the  entire  log. 

Partial  record  of  a  drilling  showing  flic  character 

of  I  he  Carbondale  formation 

(Sec  Plate  II,  No.  2) 


Description   of   strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Coal  (Herrin  or  Xo.  6) 

Ft. 

..  '  8 
1 
6 

14 
3 
4 
4 

58 
1 

in. 

6 

6 
6 

Ft. 

158 
159 
165 
179 
182 
186 
191 
249 
250 

in. 

Underclay    

Limestone    

Shale   

Limestone    

"Slate,"  black    

6 

Coal  (Harrisburg  or  Xo. 
Shale   

5)   

1  limestone    

20 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  II 


Partial  record  of  a  drilling  showing  the  character 

of  the   Carbondale  formation 

Concluded 


Description  of  strata 


Thickness 


Depth 


Shale,   black    

Coal  (No.  4?)    

Underclay 

Shale,  sandy   

Sandstone    

Shale   

Limestone 

"Slate,"  black   

Coal  (No.  3?)    

Underclay    

Shale,   sandy    . 

Sandstone 

Shale  

Coal  (Murphysboro  or  No.  2?) 

Shale   

Coal  (Murphysboro  or  No.  2?) 


Ft. 

in. 

3 

6 

2 

10 

6 

22 

25 

10 

1 

3 

6 

2 

6 

5 

23 

24 

6 

1     . 

10 

20 

2 

2 

3 

in. 
6 
6 


Correlation. — The  following  is  quoted  from  the  Murphy  sboro- 
Herrin  folio  :2 

From  a  study  of  the  fossil  plants  found  in  the  coal  seams  and  associated 
strata  in  the  State,  David  White  concludes  that  the  Murphysboro  coal  is  the 
lowest  coal  bed  in  Illinois  that  falls  within  the  time  interval  of  the  Allegheny 
formation  of  Pennsylvania.  He  also  concludes  that  the  Herrin  coal  may  be 
of  Freeport  age,  possibly  as  high  in  the  stratigraphic  column  as  the  Upper 
Freeport  coal,  which  is  the  uppermost  layer  of  the  Allegheny  formation  in 
the  Appalachian  region.  From  these  correlations  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Car- 
bondale formation  corresponds  in  a  general  way  to  the  Allegheny  formation 
of  the  Appalachian  region. 

Coal  No.  2  is  believed  to  be  of  about  the  same  age  as  the  La  Salle 
(No.  2)  coal  of  District  I  of  northern  Illinois. 

Coal  No.  2. — The  Murphysboro  (No.  2)  coal  ranges  in  thickness 
from  1  to  6  feet  or  more  and  is  commonly  divided  into  two  or  more 
benches.  The  bed  is  of  somewhat  irregular  thickness  and  seems  to 
be  absent  from  considerable  area  in  the  northern  and  eastern  parts 
of  the  quadrangle.  It  is  also  absent  throughout  most  of  the  hills, 
whence  it  has  been  removed  by  erosion,  but  it  is  workable  almost  con- 
tinuously along  the  foot  of  the  hills.  The  bed  is  mined  extensively  in 
the  vicinity  of  Murphysboro,  and  has  also  been  mined  V/2  miles  north- 
west of  Oraville,  at  Bryden,  at  Sato,  and  at  points  V/2  miles  south  of 
Ava,  and  2l/2  miles  southwest  of  Matthews.  At  these  places  the  bed 
is  somewhat  variable,  but  there  is  generally  3  to  4  feet  of  excellent  coal. 


GENERAL  GEOLOGY 


21 


In  the  vicinity  of  Murphysboro  and  along  the  outcrop  of  coal  No. 
2  near  Sato,  the  coal  occurs  in  considerable  areas  as  an  unbroken  seam. 
The  margin  of  this  especially  valuable  coal  is  marked  either  by  the  out- 
crop or  by  a  splitting  up  of  the  seam  by  beds  of  shale  of  increasing 
thickness.  These  irregularities  may  occur  at  any  place  in  the  bed  or 
at  several  places  at  once,  but  it  possibly  is  found  to  take  place  most 
commonly  near  the  middle  of  the  seam.  The  rapid  variation  in  thick- 
ness of  the  two  benches  of  coal  Xo.  2  and  of  the  shale  parting  is  illus- 
trated by  the  following  drilling  records  of  borings  located  in  the  same 
section. 

Lower  part  of  the  Carbondale  formation  at  the  cast  side  of  the  SE.  T4  SW.   '4 

sec.  32,  T.  8  S.,  R.  2  W. 

Thickness 


Ft. 

Loess  and  valley  filling   30 

Carbondale  formation — 

Shale,  yellow  clay   10 

Shale,  hard,  blue v 

2 

8 

5 


Coal  

Shale  .... 

Coal 

Coal,  bony 
Clav    


Coal  No.  2 


m. 

7 

9 
6 
2 

w 

5-M 

6 

2Ya 


Lower  part   of   Carbondale  formation   at    the   west 

see.  32,  T.  S  S.,  R.  2  \\ 


ride  of  the  SE. 


Sll 


Thickness 
Ft.  in 

Loess  and   filling    $1  I 

( Carbondale  formation — 

Shale,  yellow,  soft  5 

Shale,  blue    .11 

Shale,  black 

Coal 

Coal,  bony 

Shale,  blue 

Coal 

Shale,  blue 

Shale,  dark,  calcareous 

Sandstone,   hard    

Vergennes  sandstone  member. — The  following  description  is  given 
by  Shaw  and  Savage:2 

The   Murphysboro  coal   is  generally   overlain   by  a  seam   of  clay    ("sheep 

skin"),  which  is  in  turn  overlain  by  20  to  40  feet  of  shale  or  in  a  few  places 
shaly  sandstone,  which  where  thickest  locally  contains  a  thin  coal  seam  near  the 
middle.     This  shale  is  in  turn  overlain   by  sandstone  or  in   some  places  by  sandy 


'lllrlll,     p.     6. 


22  COAL  RESOURCES   OF  DISTRICT   II 

shale,  which  seems  to  be  persistent  though  irregular  in  thickness,  ranging  from 
15  to  45  feet.  This  sandy  member  is  micaceous,  loose,  friable,  and  brownish. 
Although  it  is  not  nearly  so  resistant  as  tne  beds  of  the  Pottsville  sandstone,  it 
forms  low  hills,  and  4  miles  northwest  of  Vergennes,  in  sec.  11,  T.  7  S.,  R.  3  W., 
it  is  well  exposed  on  a  large  hill.  The  persistent  nature  of  this  rock  and  its 
importance  as  a  key  stratum  (as  it  forms  low  hills  and  crops  out  more  exten- 
sively than  other  parts  of  the  Carbondale  formation)  seems  to  warrant  a  special 
name,  and  the  term  Vergennes  sandstone  member  is  here  proposed. 

Strata  between  Vergennes  sandstone  member  and  coal  No.  5. — 
In  the  folio  covering  the  Murphysboro  and  Herrin  quadrangles  is  the 
following  description.3 

Above  the  Vergennes  sandstone  member  is  a  bed  of  clay  5  to  6  feet  thick, 
and  overlying  the  clay  and  about  55  feet  above  coal  No.  2  there  is  a  persistent 
coal  bed,  6  to  28  inches  thick.  This  coal,  which  is  thin  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  area  and  thickens  toward  the  south,  is  exposed  at  the  surface  in  the  east 
bank  of  Crab  Orchard  Creek,  near  the  northwest  corner  of  sec.  36,  T.  8  S., 
R.  1  W.,  where  it  has  been  mined  by  drifting.  The  following  section  was  made 
at  this  place  : 

Section  exposed  in  sec.  36,  T.  8  S.,  R.  1  W . 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

5.  Sandstone,    yellowish-brown,    marked    with    numerous 

small  brown  spots   4  6 

4.  Limestone,  argillaceous,  single  bed  1  4 

3.  Shale,  black,  fissile  2  8 

2.  Coal  2 

1.  Underclay,  gray  1  6 

Eight  rods  north  of  this  exposure  12  feet  of  sandstone  is  laid  bare  in  the 
bank  of  the  creek.  One-fourth  mile  up  the  creek  from  the  latter  point  10 
feet  of  the  sandstone  overlain  by  6  feet  of  gray  sandy  shale  is  exposed. 

At  the  east  end  of  the  wagon  bridge  over  Crab  Orchard  Creek,  near  the 
middle  of  the  north  half  of  sec.  2,  T.  9  S.,  R.  1  W.,  the  following  succession  of 
strata  is  exposed : 

Section  exposed  in  sec.  2,  T.  9  S.,  R.  1  IV. 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

8.     Limestone,  argillaceous,  somewhat  concretionary 1 

7.     Shale,  black,  fissile,  containing  Orbicnloidea  niissonri- 
ensis  and  dermal  tubercles  of  Petrodus  occidentalis.   3 

6.  Coal  2  4 

5.  Underclay,  gray 2  6 

4.  Shale,   gray    5  6 

3.  Shale,  gray,  sandy 7 

2.  Sandstone,  yellowish  gray   8 

1.     Sandstone,  fine  grained,  shaly 10 

In  the  above  section  the  beds  numbered  5  to  8  inclusive  are  the  equiva- 
lents  respectively  of  those  numbered   1   to  4   in  the  preceding  section.     Corre- 


•!Idem,  p.   7. 


GENERAL  GEOLOGY  23 

sponding  beds  outcrop  about  a  mile  southeast  of  the  bridge  over  Crab  Orchard 
Creek,  in  sec.  1  of  the  same  township,  where  the  coal  has  been  stripped  for  local 
use.  The  sandstone  bed  at  this  last  place,  overlying  the  1-foot  limestone  above 
the  coal  seam,  is  16  feet  thick.  In  a  ravine  about  half  a  mile  north  of  this  point 
14  feet  of  the  sandstone,  succeeded  by  5  feet  of  shale,  is  exposed.  In  some 
records  the  sandstone  is  reported  to  be  about  25  feet  thick. 

The  strata  described  represent  the  beds  associated  with  the  coal  lying 
about  55  feet  above  coal  No.  2.  The  sandstone  member  above  the  coal  is  suc- 
ceeded by  a  bed  of  shale  40  to  50  feet  thick,  commonly  more  or  less  sandy  and 
locally  a  true  sandstone.  In  some  places,  as  2  miles  southeast  of  Denmark,  the 
central  part  of  this  shale  contains  calcareous  and  fossiliferous  layers  of  sand- 
stone.    *     *     *     . 

Above  the  shale  is  a  bed  of  clay  5  to  6  feet  thick,  which  is  in  turn  overlain 
by  a  2-foot  bed  of  coal.  This  coal  lies  about  80  feet  above  the  coal  referred  to 
in  the  preceding  paragraph  and  135  feet  above  coal  No.  2.  It  is  overlain  by  a 
bed  of  black,  finely  laminated  shale  3  to  5  feet  thick,  upon  which  rests  a  1-foot 
layer  of  limestone.  Above  the  limestone  40  feet  or  more  of  gray  shale,  locally 
fossiliferous  in  the  lower  part,  grades  upward  into  sandstone.  *  *  *  The 
sandstone  which  overlies  the  shale  has  lenses  of  shale  and  limestone  *  *  *  A 
bed  of  clay  1  to  5  feet  thick  overlies  this  shale  and  sandstone,  and  underlies 
coal  No.  5. 

Coal  No.  5  and  associated  strata. — No.  5,  or  1  [arrisburg  coal,  is 
found  in  Jackson  Count}'  east  of  its  outcrop  wherever  the  drill  has 
penetrated  to  its  horizon.  It  is  found  underlying  only  T.  7  S.,  R.  1  \Y., 
and  adjacent  parts  of  T.  7  S.,  R.  2  W.,  and  T.  8  S.,  Rs.  1  and  2  W. 
The  outcrop  which  is  obscured  by  the  drift  lies  about  three-fourths  of 
a  mile  west  or  south  of  the  outcrop  of  coal  No.  6,  as  shown  on  the 
map  (PI.  I  ).  The  records  of  21  drillings  in  this  part  of  the  county 
that  have  penetrated  the  full  thickness  of  the  coal  show  a  variation 
in  the  thickness  between  44  and  70  inches;  3  holes  show  less  than  SO 
inches,  12  a  thickness  between  50  and  60  inches,  and  6  a  thickness 
greater  than  60  inches.  Hie  average  of  21  measurements  is  55  inches. 
The  following  description  is  given  by  Shaw  and  Savage:3 
The  sequence  of  strata  associated  with  the  Harrisburg  coal  is  well  exposed 
in  the  south  bank  of  a  creek  in  the  E.  %  sec.  1,  T.  9  S.,  I\.  1  E.,  where  the 
following  section  was  made  : 

Section  near  I  he  middle  of  I  lie  E.  ;/>  see.  I ,  T.  V  .V.,  A'.   /  /:'. 

Thickness 
/•'/.  in. 

5.     Shale,  gray,  yellowish  where  weathered    4 

4.     Shale,  soft,  gray,  calcareous;  many    fossils    1  1 

3.     Limestone,  single  layer,  hard,  bluish  gray,  argillaceous   1 
2.     Shale,  black,  fissile,  finely  laminated;  contains  numer- 
ous more  or  less  round  "niggerheads"  or  iron-stone 

concretions  8  to  30  inches  in  diameter   6  9 

1.     Harrisburg  coal   ( No.  5)    4 


24  COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  II 

The  black  shale  overlying  the  Harrisburg  coal  is  locally  as  much  as  15 
feet  thick,  but  generally  its  thickness  is  between  6  and  9  feet.     *     *     *. 

A  peculiar  black  laminated  shale,  such  as  that  above  the  Springfield  coal 
(No.  5),  farther  north,  generally  overlies  the  Harrisburg  coal  in  this  region. 
In  the  vicinity  of  Springfield  and  in  other  portions  of  the  State  there  is,  imme- 
diately above  the  ■  Springfield  coal  seam  and  at  the  base  of  the  black  shale,  a 
local  pyritiferous  band  a  few  inches  thick,  with  many  fossils,  in  most  places 
marine,  showing  the  shales  to  be  true  marine  deposits. 

The  limestone  overlying  the  roof  shale  of  the  Harrisburg  coal  is  12  to 
36  or  more  inches  thick.  The  limestone  is  comparatively  resistant,  and  if  it  were 
thicker  no  doubt  it  would  form  hills.  It  outcrops  more  extensively  than  any 
other  layer  above  the  Pottsville,  the  principal  exposures  being  along  Beaucoup 
Creek  2  to  3  miles  southeast  of  Finney  and  1  to  2  miles  southeast  of  Den- 
mark. Above  the  limestone  is  a  thin  bed  of  rather  soft  gray  calcareous  shale 
*  *  *  succeeded  by  a  bed  of  gray  shale,  10  to  14  feet  thick,  which  is  generally 
overlain  by  a  limestone  bed  4  to  10  feet  thick. 

Coal  A?o.  6  and  under  clay. — Above  the  limestone  last  mentioned 
is  the  clay  underlying  coal  No.  6.  This  clay  varies  in  thickness  from 
1  to  3  feet  in  this  area  and  generally  contains  impressions  of  the 
roots  of  a  plant,  Stigmaria.  The  overlying  coal  is  7  feet  3  inches  to  12 
feet  5  inches  thick,  though  the  seam  where  much  broken  by  shale 
reaches  a  thickness  of  16  feet  9  inches.  The  average  thickness  of  the 
bed  including  the  "blue  band"  in  22  records  is  9  feet  6  inches.  The 
coal  is  characterized  by  a  layer  of  dirt  or  bone  or  shaly  coal,  known 
as  the  "blue  band,"  which  lies  18  to  30  inches  above  the  base  of  the 
coal.  Near  the  east  boundary  of  the  district  this  shale  in  places  meas- 
ures 6  to  11  inches,  but  in  most  places4  the  "blue  band"  is  much 
thinner,  being  rarely  over  3  inches  in  thickness.  The  approximate  out- 
crop of  this  coal  is  shown  on  Plate  I  by  a  broken  line.  The  portion 
of  the  cotmty  lying  south  and  west  of  this  line  represents  the  area 
in  which  the  Carbondale  formation  below  coal  No.  6  immediately 
underlies  the  surficial  deposits. 

MCLEANSBORO   FORMATION 

General  character. — The  McLeansboro  formation  in  southern  Illi- 
nois is  barren  of  workable  coal  beds  except  possibly  in  small  areas, 
and  consists  very  largely  of  shale  and  sandstone.  As  it  is  much  better 
developed  in  adjacent  districts  than  in  Jackson  County  the  reader  is 
referred  to  bulletins  describing  Districts  VI  and  VII  where  the  forma- 
tion is  discussed  in  detail.  Only  in  the  northeast  part  of  Jackson 
County  is  there  more  than  200  feet  of  the  formation  present,  and  only 
5  drill  holes  out  of  a  possible  27  in  T.  7  S.,  R.  1  W.,  show  so  much. 

Shale  and  limestone  immediately  overlying  coal  No.  6. — Coal  No. 
6,  or  Herrin  coal,  is  overlain  by  a  bed  of  shale  of  somewhat  variable 


4See  Bulletins  11  and  15,  Illinois  Coal  Mining  Investigations. 


GENERAL  GEOLOGY  25 

character  5  to  78  feet  in  thickness.  The  shale  is  described  in  the  drill- 
ing records  as  "clay  shale,"  "sandy  shale,"  and  "black  slate."  One 
log  records  46  feet  8  inches  of  sandstone  above  the  coal.  The  black 
"slate"  is  commonly  found  at  the  top  of  the  shaly  strata  and  in  places 
lies  immediately  upon  the  coal.  There  may  be  great  variation  in  the 
succession  reported  in  the  same  square  mile.  For  instance  out  of  12 
records  of  drilling  in  sec.  29,  T.  7  S.,  R.  1  W.,  one  shows  "slate" 
lying  above  the  coal,  another  records  43  feet  of  strata  between  the 
coal  and  the  black  shale,  and  others  show  various  intervals  between 
these  two  extremes.  The  black  "slate"  is  not  everywhere  present  in 
the  section. 

Commonly  a  bed  of  limestone  overlies  the  strata  described  in 
the  preceding  paragraph.  This  limestone  where  it  is  found  within  25 
feet  of  the  coal  forms  the  cap  rock  in  the  various  mines  and  is  com- 
monly encountered  in  drilling.  It  has  a  widespread  distribution  in 
Illinois  and  can  be  identified  by  the  aid  of  a  small  fossil  (Girtyina) 
which  it  contains.  In  thickness  the  stratum  varies  from  1  to  7  feet, 
the  average  thickness  being  3  or  4  feet. 

Where  an  interval  greater  than  25  or  30  feet  separates  the  coal 
from  the  nearest  limestone  above,  there  is  some  hesitancy  in  making 
correlations  with  the  limestone  carrying  Girtyina  without  additional 
evidence.  The  writers  of  the  Murphysboro-Herrin  folio  believe  that 
where  a  thick  bed  of  shale  overlies  the  coal  the  limestone  lias  been 
removed  by  erosion.  In  Bulletin  15  of  this  scries  is  expressed  the 
belief  that  the  limestone  is  more  or  less  widespread  over  southern 
Illinois  and  that  the  underlying  shale  is  of  unusual  thickness  in  cer- 
tain areas.  The  variation  in  the  thickness  of  the  shale  is  thought  to 
be  due  to  the  difference  in  the  amount  of  shrinkage  of  the  underlying 
coal  in  its  consolidation  from  peat,  thicker  coal  shrinking  more  than 
thin  coal.  Certainly  no  evidence  is  at  hand  to  show  that  the  erosion 
which  is  conjectured  to  have  removed  the  black  shale  and  limestone 
at  any  place  removed  any  part  of  the  closely  subjacent  coal. 

Strata  above  the  limestone  cap  rock  of  coal  No.  6. — Overlying  the 
limestone  which  forms  the  cap  rock  of  coal  No.  6,  shale  described  in 
the  records  as  "clay  shale",  "sandy  shale",  "blue  slate",  and  "fire  clay" 
is  recorded  commonly  about  20  feet  thick,  but  possibly  in  places  not 
over  10  feet,  and  elsewhere  possibly  as  much  as  45  feet.  Above  this 
is  a  limestone  which  has  an  average  thickness  from  12  to  14  feet  but 
is  thinner  in  some  places.     It  is  not  recorded  in  all  the  logs. 

A  thin  coal  12  to  14  inches  in  thickness  is  reported  in  a  number 
of  the  drill  holes  at  an  interval  of  50  to  60  feet  above  coal  No.  6  with 
another  and   thinner  seam  about   10   feet   higher.     Their   distribution. 


26 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  II 


however,  seems  to  be  restricted  to  a  small  area.  It  is  thought  not  im- 
probable that  one  of  these  thin  coal  beds  may  be  the  same  as  the  thin 
seam  found  25  to  50  feet  above  coal  No.  6  in  District  VII  and  described 
by  Mr.  Kay  in  Bulletin  11  as  coal  No.  7. 

Concerning  the  rest  of  the  McLeansboro  section  the  data  at  hand 
do  not  warrant  generalizations. 

QUATERNARY    SYSTEM 
PLEISTOCENE    SERIES 

Glacial  till. — Glacial  till  mantles  almost  the  entire  district  except 
the  comparatively  small  area  of  the  stream  valleys  from  which  it  has 
been  removed  by  erosion.  It  consists  of  a  mixture  of  clay  and  more 
or  less  decayed  pebbles  and  bowlders  of  many  kinds  of  rock.  The 
till  has  a  rather  uniform  thickness  of  about  15  feet.  In  general  those 
parts  of  the  county  above  an  elevation  of  400  feet  are  underlain  by 
a  greater  or  less  thickness  of  till  covered  by  fine  yellow  clay,  or  loess, 
which  is  reported  to  average  about  10  feet  thick,  so  that  the  surface 
covering  is  not  uncommonly  25  to  35  feet  thick.  This  thickness  of 
glacial  till  is  of  no  special  moment  in  the  exploitation  of  the  coal  beds. 

Valley  fill. — Those  parts  of  the  county  lying  below  an  elevation 
of  410  feet  above  sea  level  along  the  principal  valleys  are  very  likely 
to  be  underlain  by  a  varying  amount  of  silt  and  sand,  not  improbably 
water  soaked.  This  alluvial  material  is  in  places  as  much  as  120  feet 
thick.  In  places  near  the  outcrop  of  coal  No.  2  near  Murphysboro 
the  irregularities  of  the  rock  floor  below  the  valley  fill  affect  the  thick- 
ness of  the  roof  above  the  coal  to  an  important  extent.  The  mines  of 
Big  Muddy  Coal  and  Iron  Company  near  Big  Muddy  River  have  found 
that  considerable  care  must  be  exercised  in  opening  up  new  work  to 
avoid  weak  or  thin  roof.  For  a  discussion  of  the  origin  of  the  allu- 
vium which  has  no  special  bearing  upon  the  coal  resources  of  the  region, 
the  reader  is  referred  to  the  text  of  the  Murphysboro-Herrin  folio, 
where  the  subject  is  discussed  in  detail. 

The  following  sections  show  the  character  of  the  surficial  material 
near  Murphysboro : 

Section  of  surficial  material  in  the  SW.  cor.  SE.  yA  NE.  yA  sec.  4.  T.  9  S..  R.  2  li 


Description  of  strata 


Thickness 


Depth 


Clay,  yellow,  sandy 

Clay,  gray   

Clay,  gray,   sandy    , 

Sand,  yellow 

Clay,  blue,  sandy  . 


Ft. 

18 

10 
1 
6 

15 


Ft. 

18 
28 
29 
35 
50 


GENERAL  GEOLOGY 


27 


Section  of  surftcial  material  in  the  SW.  cor  SE.  yA  NE.  VA  sec.  4,  T.  9  S.,  R.  2  W . 

Concluded 


Description  of  strata 


Thickness 

Ft. 

in. 

16 

1 

2 

15 

4 

4 

5 

6 

6 

Depth 


Clay,  red    

Clay,  gray,  sandy    

Clay,   red    

Clay,  gray,   sandy    

Clay,  brown,  sandy 

Clay,  green,  sandy    

Sand,  yellow,  and  gravel,  mixed.... 

Shale,  yellow,   sandy    

Shale,  gray 


Section   of  surficial  material  500  feet  southeast  of  center  of  the  SW.  %  sec.  3, 

T.  9  S\,  R.  2  W. 


Description  of  strata 


Thickness 


Depth 


Clay,  gray    

Clay,  yellow,  sandy 

Clay,  blue,  sandy 

Sand  and  clay  mixed   

Quicksand    

Clay,  blue,  sandy 

Quicksand  and  gravel  mixed  

Clay,   red    

Quicksand    

Clay,  red,  and  sand  mixed   

Shale,  blue,  sandy   

Sand,  clay,  and  coal  mixed 

Shale,  blue,  sandy,  with  concretions. 


The  thickness  of  the  alluvium  in  various  parts  of  the  district  along 
the  principal  valleys  is  shown  in  the  following  table: 

Table  1 — Recorded    thicknesses    of    the    drift    in    various   (/roups    of   drill   holes 
along  the  principal  valleys  in  Jaclcsou  County 
Township   and   sections  Thickness 

Feet 


T.  7  S.,  R.  1  E. 


T.  8  S.,  R.  2  E. 


f  3,  4,  and  9 29  —  56 

IS  and  20  28  —  55 

24,  27.  and  28 31—64 

29,  30,  and  32  15  —  46 

2    99 

7    4—16 

11  and  14   85  —121 

16,  21  and  22  79  —1 10 

26  and  27  43  —  68 

28,  29,  30,  2>2,  and  33 10  —  95 

34  and  35   49  —114 


28  COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  II 


T.  9  S.,  R.  2  E. 


<"  1,  2,  and  3 21—90 

4,  5,  8,  and  9 0  —  97 

10,  11,  and  12  13  —  80 

?100 

Structure 
method  of  showing  structure 

The  term  structure  as  used  in  geology  commonly  refers  to  the  atti- 
tude or  "lay"  of  the  rock  layers;  that  is,  whether  they  are  flat  lying, 
inclined,  folded,  or  broken  by  faults.  Structure  of  this  kind  can  be 
represented  by  photographs  and  sketches,  by  diagrammatic  cross-sec- 
tions and  block  drawings,  but  most  accurately  by  means  of  structure 
contours.  The  use  of  structure  contours  to  show  differences  in  eleva- 
tion or  relief  has  been  explained  with  considerable  detail  in  preceding 
bulletins5  of  the  series  so  that  an  explanation  will  not  be  necessary  at 
this  place. 

The  reference  stratum  used  in  delineating  the  structure  shown  on 
Plate  I  is  the  bottom  of  No.  2  or  Murphysboro  coal.  In  preceding 
bulletins  the  reference  stratum  has  commonly  been  the  surface  of  the 
coal  bed  used.  The  bottom  rather  than  the  top  of  the  bed  is  used, 
since  the  seam  is  divided  into  two  benches  by  a  considerable  thickness 
of  intervening  strata,  and  the  lower  bench  rather  than  the  upper  is 
mined ;  it  is  believed,  therefore,  that  a  structure  map  based  upon  the 
lower  bench  will  be  more  useful  and  more  accurate  than  one  based 
upon  the  upper  bench. 

The  structure  contours  are  represented  on  the  map  by  the  prom- 
inent irregularly  curved  red  lines  which  cross  the  map  in  a  general 
north-south  direction.  These  lines  show  the  position  of  coal  No.  2 
above  sea  level.  Since  in  this  area  as  in  general  throughout  the  Illinois 
coal  basin  the  beds  of  the  Pennsylvanian  series  are  essentially  parallel, 
the  general  geologic  structure  is  indicated  by  the  lines  representing 
the  elevation  of  the  base  of  this  bed. 

RELIABILITY    OF    STRUCTURE    CONTOURS 

The  reliability  of  the  structure  contours  is  affected:  (1)  by  the 
accuracy  of  the  surface  elevations;  (2)  by  the  variability  of  the  calcu- 
lated intervals  between  coal  No.  6  and  the  base  of  coal  No.  2;  and  (3) 
by  the  number  and  distribution  of  the  points  whose  altitudes  are  known. 

That  part  of  the  district  lying  within  the  Murphysboro  and  Herrin 
quadrangles  contains  accurately  determined  surface  elevations.  The 
reference  strata  are  coal  beds  that  have  been  extensively  worked  and 
whose  depths  below  the  surface  have  been  noted  in  numerous  shafts, 


'Bulletins   10  and   11,   Illinois   Mining  Investigations. 


GENERAL  GEOLOGY  29 

wells,  and  drill  holes.  At  most  such  points  the  altitude  of  the  surface 
was  obtained  by  hand  level  or  barometer  from  some  of  the  numerous 
bench  marks,  and  the  determinations  have  involved  short  horizontal 
distances  and  small  possibilities  of  error. 

The  variation  of  the  interval  between  the  two  coal  beds  is  more 
likely  to  lead  to  a  mistake  in  determining  the  altitude  of  coal  No.  2. 
In  T.  7  S.,  R.  1  W.,  very  few  of  the  drill  holes  reached  the  lower  coal, 
and  at  a  few  places  in  the  township  the  contours  are  based  upon  the 
altitude  of  coal  No.  6  by  assuming  the  interval  between  the  coals  to  be 
about  250  feet.  In  the  northeast  corner  of  the  map  of  Jackson  County, 
north  and  east  of  the  outcrop  of  coal  No.  6,  are  shown  the  contours 
based  upon  the  surface  of  coal  No.  6  for  this  same  area.  These  connect 
with  the  contours  shown  on  the  maps  of  District  AT  and  District  VII.6 

On  account  of  the  scarcity  of  outcrops  drill  holes  and  mines  are 
the  principal  sources  of  information.  These  are  fairly  evenly  dis- 
tributed so  that  error  arising  from  the  scarcity  of  determined  altitudes 
of  recognizable  strata  is  probably  not  great. 

The  dip  of  the  coal  in  the  mines  also  affords  some  information  for 
working  out  the  structure,  though  the  assumption  of  a  uniform  dip 
between  determined  points  may  be  a  source  of  slight  error.  A  few 
faults  having  a  throw  of  8  to  22  feet,  local  irregularities  in  dip,  and 
low  folds  were  found  in  some  of  the  coal  mines  and  in  a  tew  surface 
exposures.  Local  irregularities  such  as  these  do  not  appear  in  the 
structure  contours  on  the  geologic  map. 

Inasmuch  as  nearly  all  the  drill  holes  and  mines  are  located  within 
the  boundary  of  the  Murphysboro  and  Herrin  quadrangles,  and  as 
accurate  elevations  are  lacking  for  the  few  localities  outside  the  quad- 
rangles, the  structure  is  not  shown  beyond  the  limits  of  these  areas. 

USES    OF    THE    STRUCTURE    MAI" 

The  primary  purpose  of  the  structure  map  (  Plate  I  )  is  to  show 
the  structural  features.  The  coal  stratum  slopes  away  or  dips  as  shown 
by  arrows  from  contour  lines  of  higher  elevation  to  those  of  lower. 

In  addition  to  the  usefulness  of  the  structure  contour  map  in 
showing  the  lay  of  the  coal,  it  can  be  used  to  determine  the  approxi- 
mate depth  of  the  coal  bed.  In  case  the  depth  of  the  coal  is  desired 
at  some  point  crossed  by  a  structure  contour  line,  it  can  be  readily 
calculated  by  subtracting  the  elevation  shown  on  the  contour  line  from 
the  surface  altitude.  If  the  point  lies  between  two  contour  lines,  its 
relative  distance  from  them  is  observed,  and  the  elevation  of  the  coal 

eBulletins    11    and    15,    Illinois    Coal    Mining    Investigations. 


30  COAL  RESOURCES   OF  DISTRICT   II 

approximated  accordingly,  after  which  process  the  regular  calculation 
can  be  made. 

One  of  the  special  services  of  the  coal  structure  map  in  Illinois  has 
been  to  determine  the  possible  areas  of  oil  and  gas  accumulation.  It 
has  been  found  as  a  rule  that  structural  features  affecting  the  "Coal 
Measures"  affect  also  the  underlying  rock  to  a  considerable  depth  in 
the  same  way,  though  possibly  to  a  greater  or  less  degree.  A  relation- 
ship of  areas  of  accumulation  to  anticlinal  folds  and  domes  is  known 
to  exist,  and  the  fact  that,  at  least  in  some  places,  domes  in  the  coal 
strata  indicate  conditions  favorable  for  oil  and  gas  has  given  added 
value  to  structure  contours  on  the  coal  beds. 

STRUCTURE    OF    DISTRICT    II 
GENERAL   FEATURES 

The  structure  of  District  II  is  dominated  by  an  uplift  in  the  south- 
western part  which  results  in  a  general  northeastern  dip.  The  top  of 
the  Potts ville  sandstone,  for  instance,  which  is  850  feet  above  sea  level 
near  Sand  Ridge,  drops  to  about  300  feet  below  in  the  northeastern 
corner  of  Jackson  County.  The  average  slope  of  the  strata  is  50  to 
75  feet  per  mile,  but  in  the  hilly  country  the  Pottsville  sediments  slope 
in  places  as  much  as  10  degrees,  or  1  foot  in  6.  The  area  of  greatest 
uplift  is  flanked  on  the  east  by  steeply  dipping  strata  and  is  terminated 
on  the  north  by  a  fault  of  100  to  200  feet  throw.  Coal  No.  2  outcrops 
along  the  flanks  of  the  anticline  but  does  not  rise  over  the  crest,  which 
is  underlain  by  Pottsville  sandstone.  The  coal  continues  for  some 
distance  farther  west  on  the  north  side  of  the  fault  than  on  the  south 
side. 

DETAILS    OF    STRUCTURE 

The  general  northeast  dip  of  the  coal  is  modified  by  more  or  less 
pronounced  irregularities.  The  most  important  of  these  are:  (1)  a 
sharp  anticline  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  T.  7  S.,  R.  1  W. ;  (2)  an 
unsymmetrical  broad  anticline  in  the  west  side  of  townships  lying  in 
R.  3  W.,  extending  south  from  near  Ava  to  T.  9  S.,  R.  3  W. ;  (3)  an 
east-west  syncline  at  Sato;  (4)  an  anticline  lying  just  north  of  the 
syncline  last  mentioned  and  extending  east,  curving  somewhat  north- 
ward to  the  county  line;  (5)  a  broad,  somewhat  irregular  syncline 
plunging  northeastward  and  extending  from  the  southwest  corner  of 
the  district  in  T.  9  S.,  R.  3  W.,  to  the  syncline  in  T.  7  S.,  R.  1  W. ; 
(6)  the  fault  near  the  Perry  County  line.  Of  these  irregularities  only 
the  first  lies  entirely  within  the  area  underlain  by  coal  No.  2.  The 
coal  is  more  or  less  involved  in  the  others.  The  various  structural 
features  are  described  in  greater  detail  in  the  following  paragraphs. 


GENERAL  GEOLOGY  31 

1.  The  anticline  in  T.  7  S,,  R.  1  W.,  is  determined  from  elevations 
of  the  coal  in  three  drill  holes  located  in  sections  26  and  27.  A  differ- 
ence in  elevation  of  coal  No.  6  amounting-  to  150  feet  is  indicated  by 
these  three  holes  arranged  in  a  linear  manner  in  the  north  half  of  the 
two  sections.  It  is  not  known  whether  this  difference  in  elevation  is 
due  to  faulting  or  to  folding,  and  the  projection  of  the  crest  of  the 
anticline  northward  as  a  narrow  structural  ridge  is  conjectural.  The 
more  satisfactory  delineation  of  this  structure  will  have  to  wait  for 
additional  drilling  along  the  supposed  crest  of  the  fold. 

2.  The  broad  anticline  south  of  Ava  for  the  most  part  lies  west 
of  the  outcrop  of  coal  Xo.  2  and  therefore  without  the  district,  except 
that  the  coal  in  places  rests  well  up  on  the  flank  of  the  anticline  in 
uneroded  outliers  of  little  importance.  Only  that  part  of  the  anticline 
in  which  the  coal  is  involved  is  shown  on  the  structure  map  (PI.  I). 
The  full  details  of  the  structure  to  the  west  appear  in  the  Murphysboro- 
Herrin  folio,  to  which  the  reader  is  referred. 

3.  The  syncline  extending  east  from  near  Sato  is  little  else  than  a 
low  place  in  the  crest  of  the  general  anticline  described  under  (  1  ).  At 
the  position  of  this  syncline  the  coal  extends  more  nearly  across  the 
anticline  than  elsewhere,  a  small  area  of  coal  existing  on  the  west  (lank 
of  the  anticline  near  Ava.  As  the  bed  outcrops  rather  extensively,  it 
is  exploited  by  numerous  drift  mines. 

4.  The  anticline  north  of  Sato  extends  eastward  into  the  coal 
field  to  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  and  possibly  as  far  as  Klkville. 
where  drilling  indicates  the  presence  of  a  slight  terrace  interrupting 
the  general  eastward  dip  of  the  strata.  As  drilling  north  of  Vergcnnes 
is  very  meager,  the  delineation  of  this  structural  feature  is  left  indefi- 
nite, being  indicated  by  broken  lines.  An  oil  prospect  sunk  on  what 
is  thought  to  be  the  crest  of  the  fold  was  unsuccessful. 

5.  The  syncline  plunging  northeast  from  the  southwest  corner  of 
the  district  is  part  of  the  general  northeastward  dip  of  the  coal  basin 
along  its  southwestern  margin  and  culminates  in  the  trough  which  lies 
between  Elkville  and  the  anticline  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  T.  7  S., 
K.  1  VV.  This  trough  is  the  southern  continuation  of  a  wider  basin 
lying  east  of  the  Duquoin  anticline  in  Franklin,  Perry,  and  Jefferson 
counties. 

6.  The  most  conspicuous  structural  feature  of  the  district,  as 
presented  in  the  map,  is  the  fault  extending  in  an  east-west  direction 
near  the  Perry  County  line.  This  displacement,  amounting  to  100  to 
200  feet,  has  been  traced  for  a  distance  of  at  least  4  miles  west  from 
the  outcrop  of  coal  Xo.  2  south  of  the  fault.     North  of  the  fault  line 


32 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  II 


the  coal  is  believed  to  be  present  in  a  narrow  strip  in  Jackson  County 
extending  northward  into  Perry  County,  although  there  has  been  no 
drilling  in  that  strip  and  the  westward  extension  of  the  coal  has  not 
been  determined.  The  extension  of  the  fault  line  eastward  from  the 
outcrop  is  obscured  by  valley  fill  and  glacial  till.  It  is  possible  that  it 
may  be  a  continuation  of  the  faulted  area  which  traverses  Williamson 
and  Franklin  counties  in  a  direction  running  slightly  north  of  west, 
possibly  entering  Jackson  County  due  west  of  Hallidayboro.  If  this 
faulted  zone  persists  through  Jackson  County,  it  will  account  for  the 
considerable  differences  in  elevation  of  the  coal  noted  in  the  southeast 
quarter  of  T.  7  S.,  R.  1  W.,  and  interpreted  above  for  want  of  better 
evidence  as  being  due  to  folding.  So  far  as  known,  the  mine  at  Halli- 
dayboro has  not  encountered  faulting. 

Figures  3  and  4  show  the  structure  and  position  of  the  coal  along 
east-west  and  north-south  lines  in  Jackson  County. 

Feet  W 

600 

400 
200 


Sea 

-^ 

Sv"--^      Coal 

E 

level 

*o.6 

^__Coa/ 

Ho.2 

_ 

200 
400 

Fig.  3. — East-west  section  across  the  part  of  the  Murphysboro  and  Herrin 
quadrangles  in  Jackson  County. 


Feet 
600 -j 

400 

200  H 


Sea 


level 


Fig.  4. — North-south  section  across  the  fault  in  Jackson  County. 


CHAPTER  IV— ECONOMIC  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  COALS 

Pottsville  Coals 

The  following  is  the  description  given  by  Shaw  and  Savage  :x 

The  coals  of  the  Pottsville  formation  are  relatively  unimportant.  A  short 
distance  above  the  middle  of  the  formation  is  a  lenticular  bed  of  coal,  which 
locally  attains  a  thickness  of  2  feet,  but  which  is  absent  from  a  considerable 
part  of  the  area.  One  of  the  best  exposures  of  this  bed  is  in  the  bank  of  a 
small  stream  in  the  SE.  %  sec.  8,  T.  8  S.,  R.  3  W.,  where  20  inches  of  good 
short-grained  coal  may  be  seen.  The  next  coal  is  about  75  feet  higher  and  is 
nowhere  more  than  1  foot  thick. 

The  only  Pottsville  coal  so  far  worked,  locally  known  as  the  Pocket  coal, 
lies  50  to  70  feet  below  the  top  of  the  formation.  It  is  of  Mercer  age  and  is 
probably  contemporaneous  with  the  variable  and  lenticular  beds  that  in  other 
portions  of  the  State  have  been  called  coal  No.  1.  This  bed  has  been  opened 
near  the  middle  of  the  SW.  %  sec.  7,  T.  9  S.,  R.  2  W.,  where  it  is  of  excellent 
quality  and  about  3  feet  thick.  The  bed  is  also  found  in  the  NW.  %  sec.  18, 
T.  8  S.,  R.  3  W.,  but  is  there  pockety  and  scarcely  workable  at  present. 

(    ARBONDALE    COALS 

COAL    NO.    2 

DISTRIBUTION    AND   THICKNESS 

The  lowest  coal  bed  of  the  Carbondale  formation  is  No.  2  (Mur- 
physboro)  coal.  The  Murphysboro  coal  is  probably  identical  with  the 
bed  mined  at  La  Salic  known  as  the  "Third  Vein",  and  with  the  coal 
mined  at  Colchester.  The  coal  is  thought  to  be  absent  or  at  least 
not  of  workable  thickness  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  district,  but  is 
almost  continuously  workable  along  the  foot  of  the  hilly  country  near 
and  north  of  Murphysboro.  In  the  vicinity  of  Murphysboro  it  is 
divided  into  two  beds,  each  of  which  has  been  mined  extensively.  It 
has  also  been  mined  one  and  a  half  miles  northwest  of  (  >rayille,  at 
Bryden,  at  Sato,  and  at  points  one  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Ava,  and 
two  miles  northeast  of  Sato. 

The  thickness  of  coal  No.  2  is  exceedingly  variable,  largely  because 
the  vein  is  commonly  split,  but  also  because  of  a  gradual  thinning 
toward  the  east.  Numerous  observations  of  the  thickness  of  the  bed 
have  been  entered  in  Table  2.  Drillings  are  more  numerous  in  T.  8  S., 
R.  1  W.  than  in  other  townships.  Where  the  bed  is  split  the  upper 
seam  commonly  varies  from  24  to  45  inches  in  thickness,  and  the  lower 
bed  from  30  to  48  inches,  being  slightly  thicker  than  the  upper  bench. 
Where  only  one  bench  is  recorded  in  the  drill  record  it  commonly 
ranges,  in  the  district  as  a  whole,  from  47  to  88  inches  in  thickness. 


'Shaw,  E.  W.,  and  Savage,  T.   I-'..,  (J.  S.  Geol.  Survey  Geol,  Alius,   Murphysboro-Herri 
folio    (No.    185),   p.    13,    1912. 

(33) 


34 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  II 


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36  COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  II 

Attention  has  already  been  directed  to  the  restricted  distribution 
of  the  thick,  undivided  Murphysboro  coal.  Although  without  much 
question  one  or  more  coal  beds  continuous  with  part  or  parts  of  the 
Murphysboro  coal  underlie  all  of  District  II  and  are  correlated  from 
drill  hole  to  drill  hole  as  coal  No.  2,  the  area  of  coal  workable  at  present, 
at  least,  is  small.  There  is  an  already  nearly  exhausted  area  of  thick 
coal  near  Murphysboro  and  a  less  fully  known  area  along  the  outcrop 
northeast  of  Sato  where  it  is  being  mined  at  a  country  bank.  The 
location  of  the  commercial  mines  at  Murphysboro  (see  Plate  I)  is 
determined  by  the  area  of  thick  coal  and  fairly  well  indicates  its  outline. 
Mine  workings  extend  as  far  east  and  north  as  conditions  will  allow  ; 
shale  partings  finally  become  too  numerous  or  too  thick  to  handle.  To 
the  west  and  south  the  minable  area  extends  to  the  outcrop,  or  until 
the  roof  becomes  unsatisfactory.  There  is  some  tendency  also  for  the 
bed  to  split  up  along  the  southwest  margin  of  the  district.  It  is  prob- 
able that  the  original  area  of  thick  coal  near  Murphysboro  did  not 
exceed  15  square  miles  and  that  two-thirds  or  more  of  that  coal  has 
been  mined  or  rendered  unminable. 


1400  Feet 


Fig.  5. — Diagrammatic  illustration  showing  the  thickening  of  the  parting 
in  the  Harrison  mine,  Big  Muddy  Coal  and  Iron  Co.,  west  rib  of  9th  north,  west. 
Bearing  of  entry,  N.  41°  E. 

PHYSICAL   CHARACTERISTICS 

The  coal  has  a  bright  luster,  contains  bands  of  dull  and  glance 
coal  and  mother  coal,  breaks  with  a  hackly  fracture  into  blocks,  is  some- 
what harder  than  the  upper  coals,  contains  little  hygroscopic  water,  and 
withstands  considerable  exposure  without  slacking.  The  bed  commonly 
contains  a  few  sulphur  balls  and  bands  which  are  discarded  by  the 
miner. 

The  clay  which  commonly  separates  coal  No.  2  into  two  benches 
is  of  variable  thickness.  In  one  mine  the  parting  varies  from  18  inches 
to  35  feet  and  in  other  mines  may  be  entirely  absent  in  some  places  or 
as  much  i  as  3  or  4  feet  thick  in  others.  The  greatest  interval  between 
the  two  ibenches  as  recorded  in  the  drill  records  is  43   feet  6  inches. 


ECONOMIC  GEOLOGY   OF  THE  COALS  37 

The  accompanying  drawing  (fig.  5)  sketched  in  the  Harrison  shaft, 
Big  Muddy  Coal  and  Iron  Company,  illustrates  the  variations  in  thick- 
ness of  the  parting  within  a  distance  of  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile. 

The  parting  is  commonly  gray  shale,  thin  bedded,  and  filled  with 
plant  impressions  and  may  appear  at  various  positions  in  the  seam.  In 
places  it  becomes  very  carbonaceous  and  is  likely  to  become  more  car- 
bonaceous near  the  base  than  at  the  top.  Bone  coal  serves  as  the 
parting  locally.  The  sections  of  the  coal  given  in  the  following  pages 
include  comments  on  the  parting,  as  observed  in  the  mines. 

DETAILED   OBSERVATIONS 

Following  are  a  number  of  detailed  observations  of  the  coal  made 
in  several  of  the  mines  of  the  district  by  members  of  the  Investiga- 
tions or  of  the  State  or  Federal  Surveys. 

GUS    BLAIR   BIG    MUDDY    COAL    CO.,    MINE    NO.    2 

General  description. — Maximum  thickness  of  the  upper  bed,  36  inches;  mini- 
mum, 24  inches;  average,  30  inches.  Maximum  thickness  of  lower  hed,  48 
inches;  minimum,  32  inches;  average,  42  inches.  The  shale  parting  varies  from 
18  inches  to  25  feet  in  thickness  and  is  present  throughout  the  mine.  The  hed 
contains  a  little  bone  coal  at  the  bottom.  Over  part  of  the  mine  both  benches 
are  worked,  elsewhere  only  the  lower  bench.  Where  only  the  lower  bench  is 
worked  the  parting  serves  as  roof  where  it  is  thick  enough,  but  where  it  is 
too  thin  the  upper  coal  forms  the  roof.  Xo  attention  is  paid  to  the  cleat,  though 
it  is   recognized  that  the  coal   works  easier  if   worked  on   the    face. 

Section,  face  of  room  on  third  northeast  entry. — Thickness  of  upper  bench 
2+  feet.  Coal  harder,  more  porous  than  the  lower  coal;  contains  numerous 
lenses  of  mother  coal.  The  parting  has  a  thickness  of  2  feet.  The  upper  \x/> 
feet  is  gray  shale,  thin  bedded  and  filled  with  plant  impressions.  The  lower 
0  inches  is  shale  with  coal  in  thin  hands.  The  lower  bench  of  coal  is  3l/j 
feet  thick.  The  upper  0  inches  is  laminated,  dull,  and  glance  coal.  The  mid- 
dle two  feet  of  coal  is  very  uniform  in  character.  There-  are  few  or  no  hands 
of  glance  coal;  in  the  lower  foot  of  the  hed  the  coal  is  soft,  bright,  with  hands 
of  coal  separated  by  layers  of  mother  coal,  giving  a  laminated  appearance. 
There  is  a  little  hone  coal  at  the  bottom  of  the  hed.  The  cleat  is  strongly  devel- 
oped— face  N.  35°  \Y..  butt  X.  38°  E.  Some  calcite  occurs  along  the  cleavage 
faces. 

This  section   is  reproduced  graphically  in  figure  o,   Xo.   1. 

BIG  MUDDY  COAL  AM)  IKON  CO.,  MINK  NO.  0 
Section  I. — Top  coal  has  a  thickness  of  24  inches;  harder  than  the  bottom 
coal;  cleat  planes  cut  the  coal  into  small  blocks  making  much  line  coal.  Calcite 
occurs  along  the  cleavage  planes.  Coal  much  laminated  and  has  partings  of 
mother  coal.  The  parting  or  the  shale  between  the  two  benches  is  only  a 
knife-edge   in  thickness.     The   lower  coal   is  44  inches   thick. 

For  a  graphic  reproduction  of  this  section  sec  figure  (>,   Xo.  2. 
Section  2. — Top  coal   has  a  thickness  of  22   inches  and   contains   layers  of 
glance  coal  separated  by   hands  of   mother  coal.     The   parting   is  of   knife-edge 


38 


COAL  RESOURCES   OF  DISTRICT   II 


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ECONOMIC  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  COALS  39 

thickness.  The  lower  coal  has  a  thickness  of  48  inches  and  is  more  blocky  than 
top  coal.  The  bottom  of  the  lower  bed  commonly  contains  bone  coal;  near  the 
outcrop  this  becomes  8  inches  thick. 

For  a  graphic  reproduction  of  this  section  see  figure  6,  No.  3. 

Cleat. — Several  measurements  of  the  cleavages  have  been  made  in  this 
mine  as  follows;  the  first  column  gives  directions  of  the  better  cleavage. 

Main  haulage  road  1,000  feet  from  shaft N.  35°  W.         N.  32°  E. 

Room  5,  3d  south.  8th  east N.  32°  W.         N.  30°  E. 

Room  4,  6th   north,   5th   east N.  28°  W.         N.  20°  E. 

On  the  main  south  entry  two  partings  of  gray  shale  are  found  in  the 
coal — one  a  3-inch  parting  6  inches  from  the  bottom,  and  the  other  a  4-inch  part- 
ing 18  inches  from  the  bottom. 

BIG    MUDDY    COAL    AND    IRON    CO.,    HARRISON    MINE 

Section  1,  face,  14th  northwest  entry. — The  upper  bench  has  a  thickness  of 
20l/2  inches;  coal  is  fairly  bright,  has  considerable  mother  coal  scattered  through 
it  in  lenses  and  partings;  the  cleat  cuts  the  coal  into  small  blocks.  The  parting 
is  very  carbonaceous  shale  with  coal  streaks  scattered  through  it,  having  a  thick- 
ness of  3  to  4  inches.  The  lower  bench  has  a  thickness  of  38  inches;  it  is  bright, 
hard,  blocky;  contains  a  few  balls  of  sulphur;  has  partings  of  mother  coal  be- 
tween glance  and  dull  coal;  the  lower  2  inches  has  partings  of  bone  coal.  This 
section  is  shown  graphically  as  No.  4  in   figure  6. 

Section  2,  room  87  off  the  4th  northwest  entry. — The  top  coal  has  a  thick- 
ness of  28  inches;  coal  more  blocky  than  in  section  above;  somewhat  laminated 
with  mother  coal  in  partings  and  lenses;  glance  coal  is  scattered  through  in 
bands.  The  parting  is  gray  shale  with  only  few  plant  impressions;  thickness 
11  inches.  The  bottom  coal  has  a  thickness  of  42  inches;  is  harder  than  the 
top  coal;  more  blocky;  cleavage  planes  well  developed;  glance  coal  in  bands  is 
scattered  through  the  lied.  The  coal  contains  a  few  sulphur  balls.  For  a 
graphic  reproduction  of  this  section   sec   figure  (>.   No.  5. 

Section  3,  room  7,  off  the  7th  northeast  entry. — Top  coal  has  thickness  of 
24  inches;  coal  more  blocky  than  usual  in  the  mine;  has  bright,  banded  appear- 
ance; contains  a  small  amount  of  calcite  ;  there  are  numerous  lenses  and  bands 
of  mother  coal;  a  few  streaks  of  bone  coal  occur  in  the  upper  1  inches  of  the 
bed.  The  parting  is  bone  coal  1  inch  thick.  The  bottom  coal  has  thickness 
of  43  inches;  blocky  bright  and  dull  coal  with  bands  of  brighl  coal  scattered 
through  it;  a  small  amount  of  mother  coal  present;  bottom  1  inches  of  the  bed 
is  bony  and  tilled  with  calcite  plates  along  the  cleavage  planes,  for  a  graphic 
reproduction  of  this  section   see   figure  0.    No.  <>. 

Section  4.  1st  northwest  entry. — Top  coal  has  thickness  22' _•  inches;  coal 
has  a  bright,  banded  appearance;  contains  lenses  and  layers  of  mother  coal; 
3  inches  of  bone  coal  occur  in  the  lop  of  the  bed;  there  i^-  a  little  sulphur.  The 
parting  is  2Yi  inches  thick;  soft  claw  bluish  gray,  with  varying  amounts  of  car- 
bonaceous matter.  The  bottom  coal  is  18  inches  thick;  bright  coal,  with  a  large 
amount  of  glance  coal  present  in  bands;  very  little  mother  coal  and  no  sulphur; 
bottom  coal  hardest  as  elsewhere  over  the  mine.  This  section  is  reproduced 
graphically  as  No.  7  figure   12. 


40 


COAL  RESOURCES   OF  DISTRICT  II 


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COAL  RESOURCES   OF  DISTRICT   II 


Table  4. — Analyses  of  mine  saniples  of  coal  from  Distr 
(Not  exactly  indicative  of  commercial 


ict  II  (Jackson  Comity) 
output) 


I   -c 


County 


Proximate    analysis    of    coa1 
1st:      "As  reed,"   with   total 

moisture. 
2d:  "Dry"  or  moisture  free 


7-12 

7-12 
7-12 
7-12 
7-12 
7-12 
7-12 
7-12 
12       7-12 


8-12 


8-12 


15    !   8-12 


55       4-12 


55       4-12 


Jackson--. 
Jackson.-. 
Jackson.-. 
Jackson.-. 
Jackson... 
Jackson--. 
Jackson.-. 
Jackson... 
Jackson--. 
Jackson--. 
Jackson__. 
Tackson... 


r,;-, 


-12 


Jackson. 
Jackson. 
Jackson. 
Jackson- 
Jackson. 
Jackson. 


I      2 


7.72 
Dry 


8.77 
Dry 


9.18 
Dry 


Dry 

10.91 
Dry 

9.76 
Dry 

9.51 
Dry 

9.37 
Dry 

9.99 
Dry 

9.25 
Dry 

9.56 
Dry 

9.20 
Dry 

8.32 
Dry 


Dry 


8.91 
Dry 


10.88 
Dry 


7.17 
Dry 


Drv 


35.03  ! 
38.02 


48.56 
52.62 


32.78 

50.58 

35.93 

55.44 

34.70 

51.58 

38.20 

56.80 

33.23 

52.43 

36.87 

58.18 

33.51 

51.20 

37.61 

57.47 

33.45 

52.07 

37.06 

57.71 

33.13 

52.12 

36.62 

57.59 

33.39 

49.29 

36.48 

54.38 

32.51 

51.88 

36.12 

57.63 

34.67 

50.53 

38.20 

55.68 

34.52 

50.47 

38.16 

55.83 

34.48 

50.54 

37.97 

55.66 

35.28 

51.10 

3S.49 

55.74 

35.00 

49.74 

38.40 

54.57 

34.03 

53.17 

37.36 

58.37 

31.71 

48.90 

35.57 

54.88 

36.36 

45.25 

39.18 

48.74 

35.30 

44.96 

38.72 

49.30 

8.63 
9.36 


7.87 
8.63 


4.54 

5.00 


4.46 
4.95 


4.38 
4.92 


4.72 
5.23 


5.24 
5.79 


7.95 

8.78 


5.62 

6.25 


5.55 
6.12 


5.45 
6.01 


5.78 
6.37 


5.30 
5.77 


6.40 
7.03 


3.89 
4.27 


3.51 
3.55 


11.22 
12.08 


10.92 
11.98 


2.01 
2.18 


2.00 
2.19 


.70 


1.14 

1.23 


1.0S 
1.20 


2.11 
2.32 


.62 


1.41 
1.56 


1.32 
1.46 


1.44 
1.59 


1.39 
1.53 


1.69 
1.85 


1.15 
1.26 


3.92 
4.22 


3.46 
3.79 


.29 

12248 

.31 

13272 

14839 

.02 

12253 

.03 

13430 

14885 

.05 

12752 

.03 

14010 

14867 

.33 

12709 

.36 

14103 

14926 

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12503 

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14034 

14863 

.51 

12629 

.56 

13996 

14S74 

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12500 

1.03 

13814 

14758 

.94 

11972 

1.03 

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14671 

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12308 

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13673 

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13804 

14834 

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14811 

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12481 

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14531 

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14617 

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14676 

ECONOMIC  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  COALS 


43 


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44  COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  II 

Cleat. — The  following  measurements  of  the  direction  of  the  cleavages  have 
been  made ;  the  first  column  gives  the  directions  of  the  better  cleavage  : 

Room  10,  13th  northwest  entry  N.  20°  E.         X.  43°  W. 

Face,  14th  northwest  entry   X.  43°  W. 

1st  northwest  entry   X.  32°  E.         X.  35°  W. 

Room  7,  7th  northeast  entry X.  20°  E.  

These  measurements  and  others  made  during  the  last  few  years  by 
various  members  of  the  Survey  are  shown  in  tabular  form  in  Table  3. 

Several  additional  graphic  sections  based  upon  these  measure- 
ments and  upon  drill  records  are  also  shown  in  figure  6. 

QUALITY   OF    COAL    NO.    2 

Three  samples  from  different  parts  of  each  of  5  mines  have  been 
collected  by  members  of  the  Investigations,  and  analyses  made  under 
the  direction  of  Prof.  S.  W.  Parr.  These  analyses  have  recently  been 
published  in  Bulletin  29  of  the  State  Geological  Survey  and  are  repro- 
duced below  in  Table  4. 

The  comparative  quality  of  the  coal  is  illustrated  by  the  analyses 
presented  in  Table  5  and  the  graphic  presentation  of  the  analyses  in 
Plate  III. 

The  analyses  make  apparent  immediately  the  reason  for  superi- 
ority of  the  No.  2  (Murphysboro)  coal.  The  percentage  of  fixed  car- 
bon is  higher  than  in  the  other  coals  of  the  State,  and  the  percentages  of 
ash,  moisture,  and  volatile  matter  are  correspondingly  lower. 

ROOF   OF    COAL    NO.    2 

The  roof  of  coal  No.  2  in  some  places  is  the  gray  shale  above  the 
undivided  bed ;  in  some  places  the  upper  bench  of  the  divided  bed ; 
and  in  still  other  places,  the  parting  between  the  two  parts  of  the  di- 
vided bed.  The  gray  shale  above  the  bed  is  a  slabby  thin-bedded  shale 
of  varying  shades  of  gray  depending  upon  the  amount  of  carbonaceous 
material  present.  It  generally  falls  in  thin  sheets.  The  character  of 
the  roof  of  coal  No.  2  in  the  various  mines  of  the  districts  is  shown 
in  Table  3. 

Not  uncommonly  between  the  coal  and  the  gray  shale  is  a  few 
inches  of  draw  slate  which  may  be  4  feet  thick  in  some  places.  Usually 
it  is  less  than  a  foot  thick,  and  in  one  mine  2  to  6  inches.  The  draw 
slate  differs  from  the  gray  shale  above  in  being  more  laminated  and 
carbonaceous.  Between  the  dark  slate  and  the  gray  shale  is  commonly 
a  thin  layer  of  soft  structureless  clay  resembling  floor  clay  and  known 
locally  as  "sheepskin".  In  No.  9  mine  this  clay  seems  to  mark  the  top 
of  the  coal  and  black  slate  section,  the  slate  appearing  in  more  or  less 
lenticular  masses  below,  and  in  places  it  truncates  the  bedding  of  the 
slate. 


ILLINOIS  STA1 

COOPEI 


District  1 


BULLETIN  16,  PLATE 


ECONOMIC  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  COALS 


45 


The  roof  shale  of  coal  No.  2  is  the  most  valuable  and  accessible 
shale  in  the  district.  Near  Murphysboro  the  shale  forms  an  almost 
unbroken  mass  nearly  100  feet  thick  with  a  thin  coal  near  the  top,  over- 
lain farther  north  by  a  heavy  sandstone.  That  part  of  the  shale  that 
overlies  a  thin  coal  about  100  feet  above  No.  2  coal  is  being  extensively 
mined  by  the  Murphysboro  Paving  Brick  Company  at  Murphysboro 
(tig.  7).  The  same  bed  outcrops  near  De  Soto  and  elsewhere  in  the 
southern  part  of  Herrin  quadrangle  and  might  be  successfully  worked 
at  a  number  of  places.  It  outcrops  in  a  strip  varying  in  width  from  a 
few  feet  to  2  miles  and  extends  east  from  Murphysboro  toward  Car- 
bondale,  and  north  from  Murphysboro  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Ver- 
gennes  Township  where  it  is  faulted  down  to  some  distance  below  the 
surface.     Most  of  the  outcrop  lies  near  a  railroad. 


Fig.  7. — Shale  in  the  pit  of  the  Murphysboro  Paying  Brick  Co.  (Photo  by 

F.  H.  KavO 


FLOOR   OF    COAL    NO.    2 

Underlying  coal  No.  2  is  commonly  a  bluish-gray  sandstone,  the 
thickness  of  which  usually  exceeds  5  feet.  In  places  there  is  a  layer  of 
clay,  commonly  called  "fire  clay",  between  the  coal  and  the  sandstone. 
This  may  reach  4  or  5  feet  in  thickness  and  may  contain  streaks  of 
coal  and  carbonaceous  material.  In  some  of  the  mines  where  this 
underclay  occurs  it  has  not  been  penetrated,  but  as  the  clay  under  the 
coal  in  the  drill  holes  rarely  exceeds  10  feet,  it  probably  is  generally  of 
no  great  thickness.  So  far  as  is  known,  the  clay  offers  no  difficulty  in 
mining:  the  coal. 


4  0 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  II 


STRUCTURAL    IRREGULARITIES 

At  least  three  kinds  of  structural  irregularities  of  some  importance 
are  found  in  coal  No.  2.  These  are  faults  or  "slips",  "horsebacks",  and 
"rolls".  These  phenomena  are  like  similar  irregularities  found  in  other 
coal  beds  of  the  State  in  greater  or  less  frequency.  It  is  not  uncommon 
to  find  all  three  irregularities  associated  (fig.  8),  but  the  horseback  is 
a  very  common  accompaniment  of  the  slip  (fig.  9). 


Fig.  8. — Diagrammatic  illustration  of  a  fault,  slip,  and  horseback  in  mine 
No.  2,  Gus  Blair  Big  Muddy  Coal  Co. 


Scale 


0      12     3      4  Feet 

Fig.  9.— Diagrammatic  illustration  of  a  horseback  in  mine  No.  9,  Big  Muddy 
Coal  and  Iron  Co. 

The  faults  or  slips  are  slight  displacements  of  the  coal  bed,  the 
coal  being  offset  along  a  fault  plane.  The  slip  plane  not  uncommonly 
terminates  or  appears  to  terminate  a  short  distance  above  the  coal,  the 
overlying  shale  not  being  affected  by  the  movement  for  more  than 
the  lower  few  inches.    It  seems  apparent  that  in  many  places  the  fault- 


ECONOMIC  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  COALS  47 

ing  is' confined  to,  and  due  to,  adjustments  within  the  coal  bed  itself  and 
not  to  major  movements  involving  the  entire  held. 

The  miners'  horse  is  commonly  a  clay  or  sandstone  filling  along 
a  slip  or  fracture  across  the  coal  bed.  These  fractures  may  be  accom- 
panied by  displacement  and  thereby  become  faults  in  the  geological 
sense,  or  the  bed  may  apparently  have  been  pulled  apart  along  the  line 
of  the  slip  without  any  displacement  (figs.  9  and  10). 


1003 

^^^^^fl 

1 

r 

.    \L 

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_■ 

|:5HMiil 

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■ 

1 

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M 

Fig.   10. — Diagrammatic  illustration  of  a  slip  without  displacement  in  mine 
No.  9,  Big  Muddy  Coal  and  Iron  Co. 

Any  considerable  body  of  shale  embedded  in  the  bed  of  coal  is  also 
spoken  of  by  the  miners  as  a  "horse".     The  "horse"  shown  in  figure  11 


0  12  3  4    Feet 

Km;.  11. —  Diagrammatic  illustration  of  a  horse  in  Harrison  mine.  I'.ig  Mndd_\ 
<  oal  and    Iron  Co. 

has  been  traced  for  1,000  feet  in  the  Harrison  mine  of  the  Big  Muddy 
Coal  and  Iron  Company  and  still  continues.     The  material  forming  the 


48  COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  II 

"horse"  is  a  hard,  bluish-gray,  micaceous  sandstone,  which  fingers  lat- 
erally into  the  coal  and  contains  within  it  patches  of  coal  or  carbonace- 
ous material.  It  is  not  improbable  that  the  sandstone  was  deposited 
contemporaneously  with  the  coal,  or  at  least  before  the  entire  bed  was 
deposited,  since  the  upper  part  of  the  bed  continues  across  the  sand- 
stone filling. 

Rolls  are  interruptions  in  the  continuity  of  the  bed  whereby  the 
roof  shale  extends  appreciably  below  the  top  of  the  bed  usually  along 
a  narrow  area  (fig.  12).    Apparently  they  represent  depressions  in  the 


Scale 


0      12     3      4  Feet 
Fig.  12. — Diagrammatic  illustration  of  a  roll  in  mine  No.  9,  Big  Muddy  Coal 
and  Iron  Co. 

top  of  the  coal  at  the  time  of  deposition  of  the  shale,  or  places  along 
which  the  bed  has  suffered  an  unusual  amount  of  shrinkage.  The  clay 
occupying  the  roll  is  commonly  slickensided  and  filled  with  minute 
cracks  indicating  that  movement  has  taken  place.  The  not  uncommon 
continuity  of  the  upper  bed  of  shale  and  coal  across  or  nearly  across 
the  coal  bed,  as  shown  in  figure  12,  seems  to  indicate  that  originally 
the  surface  of  the  coal  extended  about  level  across  the  position  of  the 
roll,  and  that  the  difference  in  the  thickness  of  the  bed  has  resulted, 
subsequently,  possibly  from  unequal  shrinkage.  The  width  of  these 
rolls  is  commonly  not  great ;  a  width  less  than  10  feet  is  probably  more 
common  than  greater  widths.  The  extension  of  the  rolls  is  known 
to  be  much  greater  than  the  width,  but  no  data  are  available  as  to  the 
actual  length  of  any  of  them. 

The  irregularities  in  the  bed  described  in  the  preceding  paragraph 
are  not  sufficiently  frequent  to  be  a  considerable  hindrance  in  mining. 
Where  they  occur  there  is  commonly  difficulty  in  holding  the  roof,  and 
horses  frequently  need  to  be  blasted  out  where  the  punching  machines 
are  unable  to  cut  through  them.  Mining  is  somewhat  hampered  in 
certain  districts  by  insecure  roof  condition,  especially  where  the  mine 


ECONOMIC  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  COALS  49 

lies  below  a  considerable  thickness  of  valley  fill  previously  described, 
and  the  thickness  of  shale  above  the  coal  is  not  great.  These  conditions 
are  encountered  especially  where  the  mines  are  located  on  the  terraces 
or  river  flats  below  elevations  of  400  feet  above  sea  level,  and  in  those 
mines  near  the  outcrop.  In  mine  No.  2,  Gus  Blair  Big  Muddy  Coal  Co., 
the  valley  fill  extends  through  the  coal  on  the  east  side  of  the  mine, 
so  that  bed  evidently  outcropped  on  the  sides  of  the  pre-glacial  valley. 
As  the  material  filling  the  pre-glacial  valleys  is  in  many  places  fine 
sand  saturated  with  water,  the  roof  becomes  very  insecure  where  the 
shale  separating  the  coal  from  the  sand  is  thin.  Surface  subsidence, 
moreover,  is  relatively  rapid  above  areas  of  quicksand  that  have  been 
undermined.  In  general,  because  of  the  nearness  of  large  bodies  of 
underground  water  to  the  coal  bed,  especially  in  the  vicinity  of  Mur- 
physboro,  the  mines  in  this  field  have  greater  difficulty  with  water  than 
most  of  those  in  other  districts  of  the  State. 

COKING  OF   COAL    NO.    2 

A  coke  of  fair  grade  has  been  made  from  the  Murphysboro  coal 
across  the  river  south  of  Murphysboro.  A  few  years  ago  several  dozen 
ovens  were  in  operation,  but  at  present  no  coke  is  being  produced  in 
the  district. 

COALS    BETWEEN    COAL    NO.    2    AND    COAL    NO.    6 

COAL    NO.    5 

Of  the  coal  beds  between  coal  No.  2  and  coal  No.  6,  none  lias 
been  exploited  in  District  II.  Of  these  coals  the  thickest  is  No.  5 
(Harrisburg  coal),  which  lies  between  20  and  50  feet  below  No.  6 
(Herrin  coal).  The  area  underlain  by  this  bed  is  slightly  greater 
than  that  underlain  by  the  upper  coal,  since  it  outcrops  about  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile  south  of  the  outcrop  of  coal  No.  6.  The  thickness 
of  the  coal  is  very  uniform  over  large  areas,  averaging  4  feet  7  inches 
for  20  drill  holes.  The  available  data  in  regard  to  the  thickness  of 
the  seam  have  already  been  summarized  in  Chapter  III. 

This  coal  has  been  extensively  exploited  in  District  V  in  Saline 
and  Gallatin  counties,  and  is  known  to  be  of  excellent  quality.  The 
conditions  for  mining  are  favorable.  The  underclav  is  hard  and  does 
not  creep  readily.  Above  the  coal  is  a  bed  of  black  shale  which 
stands  well  as  roof  with  little  or  no  timbering.  In  many  places  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  roof  shale  pyritic  concretions  or  niggerheads  are 
abundant.  For  further  description  of  this  coal  in  southern  Illinois  the 
reader  may  wish  to  refer  to  the  forthcoming  bulletin  on  District  V. 
In  Jackson  County  coal  No.  5  is  known  only  from  drilling.     Although 


50 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  II 


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ECONOMIC  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  COALS  51 

it  never  has  been  worked  in  this  district,  it  could  probably  be  mined  in 
connection  with  coal  Xo.  6  above  without  sinking  separate  shafts. 

MINOR    COAL   BEDS 

The  two  coal  beds — the  upper  one  about  24  inches  in  thickness 
and  the  lower  one  commonly  thinner,  but  locally  as  thick,  both  of 
which  are  found  rather  generally  between  coal  No.  5  and  coal  Xo.  2 — 
are  at  present,  at  least,  of  no  commercial  importance.  It  is  possible 
that  the  upper  one  of  these  beds  will  some  time  be  sufficiently  valuable 
to  mine.  Both  beds  are  covered  by  dark  shale,  so  that  the  roof  condi- 
tions are  apparently  not  unfavorable.  (These  two  beds  are  not  con- 
sidered as  coal  resources  in  the  present  report.) 

coal  xo.  6 

The  line  of  outrcop  of  Xo.  6  (Herrin)  coal  is  shown  on  the  map. 
East  of  this  line  the  bed  is  probably  everywhere  present  in  this  district 
and  extends  eastward  underlying  District  VI  and  much  of  District  V, 
and  northward  underlying  the  large  area  of  the  State  included  in  Dis- 
trict VII.  In  Districts  VI  and  VII  it  is  the  principal  coal  bed  mined, 
and  the  details  of  structure  and  physical  characteristics  of  the  coal 
have  been  discussed  at  length  in  Bulletins  11  and  15  covering  these 
areas,  to  which  the  reader  is  referred. 

Coal  Xo.  6  is  mined  at  a  number  of  places  along  the  line  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  district.  The  coal 
is  uniformly  thick,  averaging  about  9  feet  6  inches.  A  "blue  band"  or 
dirt  band,  found  almost  everywhere  18  to  30  inches  above  the  floor, 
consists  generally  of  bone  and  shale.  In  general  its  thickness  varies 
from  y2  to  21/!  inches,  with  an  average  of  about  1  2/3  inches.  In 
Jackson  County  a  number  of  the  drilling  records  show  an  unusual 
thickness  of  shale  at  the  position  of  the  "blue  band",  amounting  in 
some  places  to  4  or  5  feet.  This  unusual  thickness  does  not  seem  to  be 
widespread. 

The  thickest  coal  and  "blue  band"  is  apparently  distributed  along 
the  east  side  of  the  sharp  dip  in  the  east  part  of  T.  7  S.,  R.  1  \\ '., 
which  is  the  continuation  of  the  Duquoin  anticline  of  Terry  County. 
Generally  in  this  same  region  the  interval  between  coals  Xo.  5  and 
No.  6  is  less  than  it  is  farther  west  toward  the  outcrop.  It  has  been 
shown  (Bull.  15)  that  in  District  VI  also  coal  Xo.  6  is  commonly 
thick  where  the  interval  between  the  two  coals  is  small,  and  that,  as 
in  this  district,  the  roof  of  the  thick  coal  is  commonly  a  considerable 
mass  of  gray  shale,  the  limestone  cap  rock  and  black  shale  not  occurring 
near  the  coal.  It  is  accordingly  supposed  that  where  the  bed  is  thick 
in   the   eastern   part   of   Jackson   County   and   adjacent    parts   of   Wil- 


52  COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  II 

liamson  and  Franklin  counties,  coal  No.  6  was  deposited  in  a  shallow 
basin,  which  allowed  a  thicker  accumulation  than  elsewhere.  The  coal 
within  the  basin  is  one-half  to  two-thirds  thicker  than  the  coal  outside 
the  basin ;  this  difference  in  the  amount  of  shrinkage  accounts  for  the 
differences  in  the  thickness  of  the  shale  between  the  coal  and  lime- 
stone cap  rock. 

The  following  description2  of  coal  No.  6  from  the  Murphysboro- 
Herrin  folio  and  the  accompanying  sections  of  the  coal  shown  in 
figure  13  are  applicable  to  that  part  of  the  quadrangles  included 
within  District  II. 

A  clean  persistent  parting  of  mother  coal  lies  14  to  24  inches  below  the 
top  of  the  bed,  and  a  second  parting  generally  appears  5  to  8  inches  lower 
down.  Above  the  upper  parting  the  coal  is  in  layers  3  to  6  inches  thick,  with 
partings  of  mother  coal  between  them.  Local  lenses  of  mother  coal,  6  inches 
to  5  feet  in  length  and  1  inch  to  4  inches  thick,  are  common  in  the  upper 
third  of  the  bed.  Small  pyrite  lenses  and  streaks  of  bone,  a  few  inches  to  a 
foot  or  more  in  length  and  one-fourth  inch  to  1  inch  in  thickness  are  found 
here  and  there  in  the  middle  portion  of  the  bed,  a  short  distance  above  the 
'blue  band."  In  the  middle  and  lower  parts  of  the  bed  the  lamination  is  less 
distinct  but  the  bedding  is  still  evident. 

Above  the  coal  there  is  a  bed  of  gray,  impure  shale,  15  to  110  feet  thick, 
the  lower  part  of  which  generally  contains  a  great  number  of  plant  impres- 
sions. This  shale  does  not  stand  well  when  the  coal  is  removed,  and  for 
this  reason  the  18  to  30  inch  zone  of  coal  above  the  charcoal  parting  is 
usually  left  for  a  roof  until  the  rooms  are  mined  out,  after  which  it  may  be 
taken  down.  The  clay  beneath  the  coal  is  hard  and  generally  thin,  ranging  from 
4  to  50  inches.  It  is  generally  underlain  by  a  limestone  and  in  but  few  places 
squeezes  enough  to  cause  trouble.  Some  rock  rolls  occur  at  the  top,  the 
larger  ones  extending  down  into  the  coal  2  to  3  feet.  A  distinct  cleat  is  gen- 
erally present  but  is  not  so  strong  as  to  prevent  the  cutting  of  the  coal  in 
any  direction  desired.  The  composition  and  fuel  value  of  this  coal  are  given 
in  the  table  of  analyses. 

The  quality  of  coal  No.  6  is  illustrated  by  the  analyses  shown  in 
Table  4  and  diagrammatically  on  Plate  III. 

The  mines  of  the  area  are  indicated  in  Table  6. 


2Shaw,  E.  W.,  and  Savage,  T.  E.,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  Geol.  Atlas,  Murphysboro-Herrin 
folio    (No.    185),    p.    7,    1912. 


ECONOMIC  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  COALS 


53 


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INDEX 


PAGE 

Analyses  of  Illinois  coals 42,43 

Ava,  anticline  south  of 31 

coal  No.  2  near 20 

Beaucoup  Creek  15 

Big  Muddy  River   15 

roof  of  coal  near   26,  49 

terraces  of   14 

Bryden,  coal  Xo.  2  near 20 

Carbondale     15   i 

Carbondale  coals    33-49 

Carbondale  formation,  geology  of  19-21 

Coal,  analyses  of   42,  43 

production  of    11 

"Coal  Measures",  see  Pennsylva- 
nia}! series 

Coal   Xo.  2,  analyses  of 42 

coking  of    49 

description  of 20-21,  36-37 

distribution   of    33,  36 

floor  of   41,45 

mine  notes  on   37-41,  44 

roof  of    40,44-45 

structural  irregularities  of 46-49 

thickness  of  33.34-35,41 

Coal   Xo.  5.  description  of 49-50 

section  of   23-24 

Coal  Xo.  6,  analyses  of 42 

description  of   24.  50-52 

Danville   district    coal    analyses...  43 

De  Soto,  shale  near 45 

Devonian     formations     in     drill 

holes    17 


Elkville,  anticline  near 


M 


Fault  near  Perry  County  line.  ..  .31-32 
Franklin  County  coal  analyses...       43 

Glacial   deposits   14,  26,  27-28 

Grape    Creek   coal   analyses 43 

Herrin  coal,  see  coal  Xo.  6 

Kay.    1".    H..   work   of 11,26 

La  Salle  district  coal  analyses...       43 

Little-  Muddy  Liver 15 

Loess   deposits    14 


PAGE 

Matthews,  coal  near  20 

McLeansboro  formation   24-26 

Mercer  County  coal  analyses....       43 

Mines  in  District  II 53 

Mining    Experiment    Station,    co- 
operation with    11 

Murphysboro,  location  of   15 

coal  Xo.  2  near 20,  21 

shale   near    45 

Murphysboro  coal,  see  coal  Xo.  2 
Murphysboro   district   coal   analy- 
ses            43 

Oil  and  gas,  occurrence 29-30 

Oraville.  coal  Xo.  2  near 20 

Ordovician     formations     in     drill 

holes     17 

Pennsylvanian    series    described.  .  17-26 

Pleistocene  series 26-28 

Pottsville  coals  described $3 

Pottsville   formation   described.  ..  17-19 

Quaternary  system   described    . .  .26-28 

Lock   Island  County  coal  analyses       43 

Saline  County  coal  analyses 43 

Sato,  coal   Xo.  2  near   20.  21 

structure  near il 

Savage,  T.  K.,  work  of  11 

Shaw.    E.    \\..    work   of    11 

Silurian   formations  in  drill  holes        17 
Springfield  coal,  see  coal  Xo.  5 
Springfield- Peoria  coal  analyses..       43 
Structure    of    district    28-32 

relation  of  to  oil  and  gas 29-30 

Terraces  of  Big  Muddy  River.  .  .  .13-14 
Topography   13-14 

L.    S.    Bureau  of    Mines,  coopera- 
tion with   11 

University    of     Illinois,    coopera- 
tion with  11 

Valley  till  along  Big  Muddy  Liver       26 
Vergennes    sandstone,    description 

of    21,22 

White,  EC  D.,  work  of   11 

Williamson  County  coal  analyses      43 


Bulletin  1. 

Bulletin  3. 

Bulletin  10. 

Bulletin  11. 

Bulletin  14. 

Bulletin  15. 

Bulletin  16. 

Bulletin  17. 

Bulletin  18. 


Bulletin  2. 

Bulletin  4. 

Bulletin  5. 

Bulletin  6. 

Bulletin  7. 

Bulletin  8. 

Bulletin  9. 

Bulletin  12. 

Bulletin  13. 

Bulletin  91. 


Bulletin     72. 

Bulletii  83. 
Bulletii  99. 
Bulletin  102. 


PUBLICATIONS  OF 

ILLINOIS  GOAL  MINING 
INVESTIGATIONS 


ILLINOIS  STATE  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY 
URBANA,  ILLINOIS 

Preliminary  Report  on  Organization  and  Method  of  Investi- 
gations, 1913. 

Chemical  Study  of  Illinois  Coals,  by  S.  W.  Parr,  1916. 

Coal  Resources  of  District  I  (Longwall),  by  G.  H.  Cady,  1915. 

Coal  Resources  of  District  VII,  by  Fred  H.  Kay,  1915. 

Coal  Resources  of  District  VIII  (Danville),  by  Fred  H.  Kay 
and  K.  D.  White,  1915. 

Coal  Resources  of  District  VI,  by  G.  H.  Cady,  1916. 

Coal  Resources  of  District  II  (Jackson  Co.),  by  G.  H.  Cady, 
1917. 

Surface  Subsidence  in  Illinois  Resulting  from  Coal  Mining, 
by  Lewis  E.  Young,  1916. 

Tests  on  clay  materials  available  in  Illinois  coal  mines,  by 
R.  T.  Stull  and  R.  K.  Hursh,  1917. 


ENGINEERING  EXPERIMENT  STATION 
URBANA,  ILLINOIS 

Coal  Mining  Practice  in  District  VIII  (Danville),  by  S.  O. 
Andros,  1913. 

Coal  Mining  Practice  in  District  VII,  by  S.  O.  Andros,  1914. 

Coal  Mining  Practice  in  District  I  (Longwall),  by  S.  O.  An- 
dros, 1914. 

Coal  Mining  Practice  in  District  V,  by  S.  O.  Andros,  1914. 

Coal  Mining  Practice  in  District  II,  by  S.  O.  Andros,  1914. 

Coal  Mining  Practice  in  District  VI,  by  S.  O.  Andros,  1914. 

Coal  Mining  Practice  in  District  III,  by  S.  O.  Andros,   1915. 

Coal  Mining  Practice  in  District  IV,  by  S.   O.   Andros,   1915. 

Coal  Mining  in  Illinois,  by  S.  O.  Andros,  1915.  (Complete 
resume  of  all  the  district  reports.) 

Subsidence  Resulting  from  Mining,  by  L.  E.  Young  and  H.  H. 
Stoek,  1916. 


U.  S.  BUREAU  OF  MINES 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

Occurrence   of  Explosive    Gases   in   Coal    Mines,   by   N.    H. 

Darton,  1915. 
The  Humidity  of  Mine  Air,  by  R.  Y.  Williams,  1914. 
Mine  Ventilation  Stoppings,  by  R.  Y.  Williams,  1915. 
The  Inflammability  of  Illinois  Coal  Dusts,  by  J.  K.  Clement 

and  L.  A.  Scholl,  Jr.,  1916. 


[ 


